All together now!

Natural Environments
Winter 2005 Vol. 11, No.1
TOC
All Together Now! is published three times per year.
Letters, contributions, subscription requests, or reprint
requests should be sent to
All Together Now!
521 South Greensboro Street, Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.966.0059 • FAX 919.843.5784
email: ATN_editor@mail.fpg.unc.edu
www.fpg.unc.edu/~atn
24,000 copies of All Together Now! were printed at a
cost of ___¢ each.
3 Concept Universal Design
by Karen Luken
6 Policy Update Duncan Munn Q&A
by Duncan Munn
8 Research Evidence-based Practice
by Virginia Buysse
10 Books Reviews
by Brady Fowler
12 Contact Get in touch with PFI & CDSA
14 Family Focus Brother Included
by Sandy Steele
16 Feature Stepping Stones
by Caroline Butler
20 Ask PFI Working with PFI Consultants
by Pat Wesley
22 Spotlight Inclusion Today
24 Programs Reaching the 5 Stars
The latest programs to receive 5 stars
Editor’s Notes
It’s a pleasure to join the staff of PFI, and an honor to
take up editing this magazine after Molly Weston’s fine
work. You all know Molly as a great interviewer and
ardent book-lover. It’s quite a challenge to meet the
standards she set. My own career has been a creative
journey: I started working in the theatre, and moved to
North Carolina 22 years ago to run my own touring
puppet company. For the next seven years I performed in public
schools all over the state, a formative and inspirational experience. In
‘90 I took a turn back at grad school, received an M.Ed and made a
subsequent career in publication and instructional design, much of it
at UNC in Chapel Hill. In fact I was working at the Frank Porter
Graham Child Development Institute when Molly came to work on
ATN! Now some nine years later, I find myself back at FPG, working
with the PFI team. But we all know one thing … no one can replace
Molly Weston, and we can’t thank her enough.
So I won’t try to replace Ms.Molly. But I can give you good reviews of
children’s literature, bring you new information about the world we
work in, and get the word out about ideas that matter to young children
and their families. It’s great to be here!
A publication of
Partnerships for Inclusion
Pat Wesley, Director
Editor Brady Fowler
Designer Gina Harrison
Photographer Don Trull
Proofreaders Dave Sanel
Caroline Butler
Editorial Board & Contributing Agencies
Kathy Baars NC Public Schools Early
Childhood/Exceptional Children
Karen Chester NC Interagency Coordinating Council
for Children Ages Birth to Five with
Special Needs
Mabel Dillard Family Support Network
Karen Ferguson NC Division of Child Development
Gina Harrison FPG Child Development Institute
Katherine Laveck NC Division of Early Childhood,
a division of the Council for
Exceptional Children
Ron Moore Head Start
Duncan Munn Early Intervention Branch
Pat Wesley FPG Child Development Institute
Play is one of the main ways young chil-dren
learn about the world. In recent years we
have talked about how to make sure all chil-dren
can access their environment for play
and learning—including children with vision
and hearing loss, children with developmental
disabilities, children who use wheelchairs and
walkers. This article takes us a step further by
introducing the concept of universal design,
an approach to designing objects and environ-ments
that can be used by all people,with and
without special needs.
Universal Design
Universal design means thinking about the
broad range of children and adults who use
your environment. Universal design means
products and buildings that are accessible and
usable by everyone, including people with
disabilities. Universal design pays attention to
the needs of all people: older adults, young
people, and children, people with permanent
disabilities and those with temporary activity
limitations, people who are left handed and
right handed, men and women. The goal of
universal design goes beyond just physical
accessibility and brings about a sense of
belonging and feeling valued and accepted!
Think about the many ways universal design
has become part of our everyday life. Remem-ber
the last time you were carrying several
boxes and dreaded having to put things down
on the ground in order to open that heavy front
door? Fortunately, you were able to conserve
your time and energy by pushing a large auto-matic
door opener with your hip or arm. This
universal design technology also makes it
easier for a person using a wheelchair to use
the primary building entrance independently.
w Curb cuts make it easier for both a person
in a wheelchair and a parent pushing a
stroller to cross the street.
w Kitchen and garden tools with large grip
handles are now standard commercial
products that make cooking and garden-ing
tasks easier for older adults, persons
with arthritis, and the “weekend athlete”
dealing with tennis elbow.
Creating environments for every child
Universal Design
by Karen
Luken, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
for the North
Carolina Office on
Disability and
Health at the FPG
Child Development
Institute.
Concept
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 3
Universal design is not just a set of guidelines, it’s a way of thinking. This article gives
an overview of the principles that guide universal design, and practical examples for
good design in child care settings
Universal design makes everyone’s life easier
It’s as much an attitude as a list of design prod-ucts
and measurements.
Environments for children
Creating universally accessible environments
for children means we look at what children do
in play, and design for every child. Let’s look at
some typical activities from a universal design
viewpoint:
Imaginative play
Children love to explore the world of adults
through dress up and role play.Make sure that
the clothing and accessories can be used by
everyone. Have clothes and accessories that
can be worn comfortably and safely by a child
sitting in a wheelchair, using a walker, or
standing. Have dress up clothes and costumes
that can be put on with one hand, perhaps an
apron that requires no buttons or ties or has
Velcro closures. Clothes with tactile elements
(buttons, zippers, sequins, various tactile
materials) enable a child with vision loss to
knowingly select their special costume. Store
these play materials so that all the children can
access them independently.
Climbing, crawling, sliding
Make sure that climbing structures include
ramps and passageways that allow children
using wheelchairs or walkers to move about
the play area. Build surfaces that are safe for
different types of movement: walking, crawl-ing,
rolling. For play equipment such as slides
and swings, check that the height of the equip-ment
makes it easy for a child using a wheel-chair
or other mobility device to transfer from
the chair in order to play.
Reading
Use large-print books, books on tape, “touch
and feel” books, and books that represent
children and adults with disabilities.
Manipulative Toys
Toys should be able to be manipulated in more
than one way. For example, the steering wheel
4 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
on a pirate’s ship can be turned by hand, by
pulling or pushing a lever that requires mini-mal
strength, as well as by pulling on a knotted
rope. This design approach enables children
with different fine and gross motor skills and
stamina to use the same toy.
Equitable use
The design gives everyone the chance to use the environment in the
same way. Examples: Curb cuts enable someone using a wheelchair and
someone walking to cross the street safely; no-step entrances enable
everyone to use the front door.
Flexibility in use
The design and environment should accommodate a wide range of
individual preferences and abilities. Example: Sliding cabinet doors
that move left and right enable everyone to use a storage cabinet with
ease.
Simple & intuitive
The design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s knowl-edge,
language skills, or concentration. Example: Bathroom door signs
that use a picture of a girl or boy help everyone locate the right rest-room.
Perceptible information
Use different modes to provide information: visual, auditory, tactile.
Examples: Crosswalk signals that use audio beep signals and a graphic
of a hand counting the remaining seconds to safely cross the street;
telephones with large number buttons and pictures for frequently
called numbers.
Tolerance for error
The environment is designed to protect the user by minimizing the
impact of the user’s error. Example: Outside play surfaces are resilient,
minimizing injury from falls.
Low physical effort
The environment is designed to work with a minimum of effort.
Example: The automatic door opener saves everyone energy.
Size & space for approach
Provide adequate space for use of assistive devices or personal
assistance. Example: Using a standard width for doors and aisles makes
it easier for people of all ages to enter and move around a store.
Principles of
Universal Design
Interactive elements, such as game panels,
sound walls, sand and water tables, and play
props should be within reach of children
using wheelchairs. Because children have
varying gripping strength, offer objects of
different sizes and shapes.
Sensory play
Simple adaptive equipment can allow every-one
to experiment with water play, painting,
and other messy activities. Use paint brushes
with built up handles, a long-handled broom,
and a ground tarp for a child in a wheelchair
so she has the option of painting with her
wheels.
Music and Movement
Consider tape players that provide sound and
flashing lights, and dance activities that allow
children to move their bodies.
Paths of Travel
The environment is not made accessible by
merely adding a paved sidewalk to the play-ground
or adding a ramp or transfer platform
to a piece of play equipment. Transfer points
should have handrails or handholds and be
wide enough for a child in a wheelchair to turn
around safely. This spacing also allows for an
adult to accompany a child on the play struc-ture,
an added safety feature of a well-designed
environment.
Make sure that play areas and structures are
connected by accessible routes so that children
can move around their space as independently
as possible. Paths of travel should be firm,
stable and resilient. Loose fill materials, such
as gravel and sand, are often found in play-grounds,
but these surfaces are problematic as
they limit a wheelchair user’s ability to move
independently. Loose materials should be
contained by a border and periodically cleared
of debris so that a route of travel is not
obstructed.
Signage
Label accessible activities and play structures
so that the children, staff, and visitors can
make the best use of the environment.Attrac-tive
signage helps us all navigate and appreci-ate
our environment.
Conclusion
Universal design means thinking about a
broad range of children and adults who use
your environment. Be creative in your
approach to universal design! Reach out to
other community partners: architects,
builders, landscapers, volunteers, businesses,
and parents. Encourage planners and builders
to think about universal design when they
construct or renovate a building or play space.
Universal design gives us the chance to focus
on people’s similarities and strengths, not just
their differences and limitations. Remember
that universal design is for everyone and has
popular appeal.When all children play together
everyone benefits, including adults. ATN!
Resources
The Center for
Universal Design
www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
800.647.6777
College of Design
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 8613
Raleigh, NC. 27695-8613
Center for Inclusive
Design & Environ-mental
Access
www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/
716.829.3485 extension 329
378 Hayes Hall
School of Architecture & Planning
3435 Main Street
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214-3087
National Center on
Physical Activity &
Disability
www.ncpad.org
800.900.8086
1640 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608-6904
Creating Inclusive
Child Care Facilities:
a guide for child care professionals
www.easterseals.com
800.221.6827
Easter Seals
230 West Monroe Street
Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60606
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 5
Universal design at
play: with plenty
of room for access
and transfer this
festive play area
makes it easier for
children with and
without disabilities
to have a great
time together!
6 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
You started your career 30
years ago in Vance County—
what was that like?
I arrived in Vance county after graduate
school, as head of Developmental Disabilities
in the area mental-health center. Right away I
realized I didn't have the skills that would
make me a specialist in every disability area. I
got people together to work on problems and
tried to develop personal relationships among
professionals and families to make collabora-tion
easier.
For example, when a mother wanted inclusion
for her child —which was a new idea in
1974— I put together a group of people to
discuss the child’s needs.We worked with the
mother, the head of the community college,
the head of nursing at the public health center
and a child care director to create inclusive
services for that child. The team created a
good outcome using each person’s skills to
address the need.
Were things different when you
went to work in Raleigh?
I moved to Raleigh in 1981 to become
statewide administrator for developmental
disabilities in the Mental Health system. The
big difference was the actual size of the
system; there was a myriad of agencies. The
working situation was essentially the same,
except that I had to build relationships with
agencies instead of individuals.
Back then the special needs field was pretty
self-contained—even isolated. At that time,
interactions with other agencies were more
often serendipitous than planned. So, I did a
lot of phoning and introducing myself, and we
worked to reach out, to create bridges to other
agencies.
What goals did you have when
you took over?
In 1981 only 66 counties in North Carolina had
Early Intervention leader retires after 30 years
Duncan Munn Q&A
Duncan Munn
Policy
For many years, Duncan Munn has been a
leader in North Carolina’s system of serv-ices
for infants and toddlers with delays or
disabilities. ATN!’s editor, Brady Fowler,
caught up with Duncan as he prepares for
his retirement in February
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 7
intervention services. My main goal was to
“grow” intervention into all 100 counties in
the state.We saw the need to develop profes-sional
qualifications and a certificate for
infant-toddler specialists. We also needed to
build more inclusive options for infants and
toddlers, in a broader social context that
extended outside of the child’s family.
How has early intervention
policy changed?
We set an expectation that inclusion is “the
right thing to do” and reflected that expecta-tion
in policy:
w Designed intervention policies to
support child care centers, so that centers
could access Special Needs dollars to
fund support personnel (such as early
interventionists) and slot-based child-care
subsidies.
w Established the early intervention
credential and a professional develop-ment
path for early childhood workers.
Early Intervention training opportunities
should focus on the “whole” child as well
as developmental disabilities skills.
We face a major challenge. More children are
coming into the system (some victims of
abuse and neglect) and more providers are
arriving, new to the field.We need to extend a
good professional development foundation to
these workers. The children make up a far
more diverse population than 20 years ago
and special needs are more diverse now. We
are dealing increasingly with autism, and the
early identification of infants with
social/emotional challenges.
Because inclusion is now policy,more service
providers and professionals across the span of
child care, child health and education need to
learn how to work with these kids and their
families.
What is the importance of
families in the progress of
early intervention?
Two factors have contributed to our progress
in early intervention: families and interagency
coordination.When I was in graduate school,
families weren’t even mentioned! But families
in North Carolina worked to increase early
intervention coverage across the state and
succeeded in raising the quality of services.
Families now play a key role as partners in
planning, training, and evaluation in our
system.
The year 1991 brought federal legislation and
new funding for early intervention, and
created the Interagency Collaborating Coun-cils
(ICC).Families are important because they
act not only as advocates for children with
special needs, but also participate actively as
collaborators at the ICC level.
Every Regional ICC has 20% family represen-tation
at the table. This way, families will help
plan the future growth of early intervention.
What do you see happening in
North Carolina now?
We have had a lot of success with interagency
collaboration because of families who are
involved. We’ve got a good funding model to
move into the future, and good ways to get
technical assistance to the care provider
community, such as PFI and early interven-tion
consultants. We have good relationships
among state leaders.
But we do have a gap: we should serve more
children. In North Carolina, statistics show
that 8% of children ages birth-to-five should
qualify for early intervention services; right
now we serve only 3%. Massachusetts is now
serving 7% of their birth-to-toddler popula-tion.
What do child care providers
need to know about early
intervention?
Child care providers are a very important part
of the early intervention system. We depend
on them to educate the young children they
care for and to communicate with children’s
families. If a child care provider has concerns
about a child who might have special needs,
our system is in place to work with providers
and families to help that child. If a child is
under three years old, you can refer the child
to the Children’s Developmental Service
Agency.
What is the link between early
childhood and early interven-tion
fields?
The fields depend upon each other. We need
good child care and technical assistance to
have a good early intervention system. We
can’t take care of our birth-to-five population
without a sound early intervention program.
Agencies and professionals need to plan
policy, professional development, and evalua-tion
of programs. Together, Early childhood
and early intervention can assure the wellbe-ing
our young children. ATN!
and researchers do not turn to practice to
develop new research questions or to interpret
their findings. Yet, the evidence-based practice
movement requires that we find new ways to
bridge these two very different cultural worlds
(research and practice) so that both science and
professional wisdom can contribute to our
knowledge base.
Definition
In medicine evidence-based practice is defined
as “…the integration of best research evidence
with clinical expertise and patient values” (p. 1,
italics added for emphasis; Sackett, Straus,
Richardson, Rosenberg, & Hayes, 2000). If we
were going to adopt a similar definition of
evidence-based practice for the early childhood
field, we might substitute the words family and
professional wisdom for clinical expertise. Simi-larly,
we might expand patient values to include
the values of families, communities, and the
profession as well as the contexts in which inter-ventions
for young children are planned and
implemented.
It is important to distinguish evidence-based
practice from previous attempts to define and
guide practice in the early childhood field.These
previous attempts consist primarily of sets of
written guidelines on effective practices (gener-ated
primarily through an integration of
Virginia Buysse, Ph.D
Senior Scientist,
FPG Child Development
Institute
What does it mean for me?
Evidence-based Practice
Research
8 Vol. 11, No. 1 ��� Winter 2005
In the past several years the term evidence-based
practice has entered the early childhood
field and now appears almost everywhere—in
conference programs, journal articles, and the
World Wide Web. But what exactly does
evidence-based practice mean and how does it
affect the early childhood profession?
Origins
The early childhood field has not yet reached
agreement on a definition of evidence-based
practice. Although the term evidence-based
practice has emerged only within the past
several years, we can expect that the movement
will have a significant impact on the early child-hood
field for many years to come. The term
originated in medicine, but the emphasis on
using evidence to make informed practice deci-sions
also has its foundations in the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001 (http://www.nochildleft-behind.
gov/net/overview/index.html) and the
larger push for accountability in education that
sets high expectations for all children.
Another factor that helped pave the way for
evidence-based practice was the tension that has
long existed between research and practice (Why
won’t practitioners do what the research says?
Why doesn’t research study what really matters in
practice?). Experience tells us that practitioners
seldom turn to research to refine their practices
How do you make decisions about the way you work with young children and families?
Is what you do guided by the wisdom gained through your professional experiences and
those of families? Which of your strategies are based on sound research? Evidence-based
practice says we should draw from all these sources of knowledge.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 9
research evidence and professional and family
consensus). These practice guidelines represent
an important source of evidence that practition-ers
and parents can use in their quest for effec-tive
practices.
One such resource is the Division for Early
Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices for
people who live and work with children with
disabilities and their families (Sandall,Hemme-ter,
Smith, & McLean, 2005). These guidelines
are organized around the following practice
categories: direct services (e.g., assessment,
child-focused and family-based interventions,
interdisciplinary models) and indirect services
(e.g., policies, procedures, and professional
development).
Another resource is Developmentally Appropri-ate
Practice in Early Childhood Programs-
Revised, published by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children
(Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). The NAEYC
resource was developed primarily for general
early childhood educators and consists of both
the principles underlying practice and guide-lines
for implementing effective practices in the
classroom and other settings for young children.
The guidelines were based on theory, research
knowledge, and the field’s collective wisdom
about what practices are most supportive of
children’s early development.
Professionals who work in Head Start programs
receive guidance through Program Performance
standards (www.headstartinfo.org/publica-tions/
publicat.htm). These guidelines consist of
regulations that establish performance stan-dards
and minimum requirements in the areas
of health, education, parent involvement, nutri-tion
as well as other Head start services.
A process for decision making
In contrast to previous efforts to guide practice
through written recommendations, evidence-based
practice represents a process for making
informed practice decisions. Let us assume, for
example, that a child care director who recently
attended a conference session on early literacy
wants to work with teachers in her center to
improve language and literacy outcomes in
classrooms serving three year olds. These
professionals need practical information that
will lead to necessary improvements that create
a literacy-rich environment.They want to select
instructional strategies that are developmentally
and individually appropriate for children with
diverse linguistic and cognitive abilities. How
should the director approach this practice
dilemma?
The early childhood field has not yet reached
consensus on the steps in implementing
evidence-based practice, but the process likely
will include the following:
1. Convert the need for information into an
answerable question (e.g.,what practices
have been shown to be effective for
promoting literacy learning among
preschoolers with and without disabili-ties?)
2. Track down the best available research
evidence to answer the question
3. Evaluate the evidence for its validity and
relevance
4. Integrate the research evidence with
professional and family wisdom and
values.
Helpful websites
Although many questions regarding evidence-based
practice remain unanswered, the good
new is that efforts are underway to make this
approach easier for early childhood practition-ers
to use and understand.A growing number of
web sites, for example, now offer reviews and
appraisals of the research evidence on specific
topics such as strategies for promoting positive
peer relations in inclusive classrooms. Some of
these web sites also offer this information in
different formats for different audiences such as
researchers, practitioners, and parents.
Research & Training Center for
Early Childhood Development
http://www.researchtopractice.info
Center on the Social & Emotional Founda-tions
for Early Learning
http://www.csefel.uiuc.edu
Child Trends
http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org
Future efforts to define how evidence-based
practice should be used in the early child-hood
field will require collective questioning
and problem-solving. Hopefully, parents and
practitioners will enter these discussions to
ensure that their wisdom and experiences
are represented in the quest for practices that
are both acceptable and effective for young
children and families. ATN!
References
Sackett, D. L., Straus, S. E., Richardson,W. S., Rosenberg,
W., & Haynes, R. B. (2000). Evidence-based medicine:
How to practice and teach EBM. Edinburgh, NY:
Churchill.
Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M. L., Smith, B. J., & McLean, M. E.
(2005). DEC Recommended Practices:A comprehensive
guide for practical application in early intervention/early
childhood special education. Longmont, CO: Sopris
West and Missoula, MT: Division for Early Childhood.
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (Eds.) (1997). Developmen-tally
appropriate practice in early childhood programs,
revised edition.Washington, DC: National Association
for the Education of Young Children.
Note:This work is summarized from a chapter in a
forthcoming book to be published by Zero to Three
entitled The Evidence-Based Practice Movement:
Issues and Challenges for the Early Childhood Profes-sion
by Virginia Buysse and Patricia W.Wesley.
You’re Not
My Real
Mother!
by Molly Friedrich
illustrated by
Christy Hale
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN 0-316-60553-0
A little Asian girl peers into a hand mirror
and touches her face: she doesn’t look like
her blond mother. A conversation
grows—warm, funny, and realistic. We
learn the things that “real” parents do:
laughing, playing, teaching, helping. The
text is upbeat and natural. Affectionate
illustrations share the humor, love and fun
of a real family. Simple words and images
even explain the difference between a
child’s birth-mother and the mother who
raises her adopted child. This a very effec-tive
story; it answers a question every
adopted child asks.As more parents adopt
children with a different heritage from
their own, a book like this helps teachers
and families to explore the increasing
diversity in our lives.
Goodbye
Mousie
by Robie H.Harris
illustrated by
Jan Oermorod
Alladin Paperback
ISBN 0-689-87134-1
This well-written story narrates a little
boy’s discovery, surprise, and emotions at
the death of his pet mouse. All the stages
of children’s grief are represented; the
parents’ responses help a young child deal
with the fact and meaning of death. This
story is meant to be read aloud; the
pictures are expressive and sympathetic.
An excellent guide and resource.
Animal Snackers
by Betsy Lewin
Henry Holt
ISBN 0-8050-6748-5
If you were an Ostrich,
what would you like for an after-dinner
treat? Where do Raccoons go for a
quick bite at night? What does a Platypus
think is yummy? You can find out the
answer to these and more exciting natural
cuisine questions in this catalog of
between-meal eating habits in the animal
kingdom.Rhymed text and vibrant water-colors
make this a pleasure to read aloud.
Toddlers will love turning the pages as
they learn the names of the animals. From
the mighty Rhinoceros to the tiny Tick-bird,
Lewin’s exuberant brushwork of the
animal world makes this book a good
early lesson in animal species and their
quirky appetites. Best read before lunch...
Everywhere
Babies
by Susan Meyers
illustrated by Marla Frazee
Red Wagon Books / Harcourt
ISBN 0-15-205315-8
This award-winning
book has now been
released in a sturdy 6”x 6” board
format. It’s a warm-hearted look at the
special world of babies, celebrated in
rhyme and beautifully inked illustrations.
We see all the people, things, and activities
that babies know: Mommies, Daddies,
Grandparents, toys, pets, furniture, play
areas, bathtubs, strollers, binkies and
blankies! Meyers and Frazee capture the
sweetness and excitement of infant devel-opment
with fresh imagery and old-school
charm. This book is simply engag-ing.
Infants and toddlers will love to see
and touch the drawings of babies playing,
sleeping, snuggling, crying, making
friends, learning, and just being babies! books 10 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Farmer Dale’s
Red Pickup
Truck
by Lisa Wheeler
illustrated by Ivan Bates
Harcourt Children’s
Books
ISBN 0-15-202319-4
A farmyard fable told in rhyme, this
wonderfully illustrated tale uses vibrant
watercolor drawings of animal personali-ties
to explore how we work in groups to
solve problems. Farmer Dale is driving his
old truck to the Town Talent Show, and all
the animals want to go! The Pig, the Sheep,
the Bossy Cow, the Goat with his accordion
all squeeze in until the truck can’t move at
all.What to do? Lively drawing animates
this story as the animals learn that the best
way to solve a problem is to think together
and cooperate. Children will love the
rhyme and sound of the dialog and narra-tion.
Reading this book is sheer pleasure.
Nuts to You!
by Lois Ehlert
Voyager/Harcourt
ISBN 0-15-205064-7
Awa rd-w i n n ing
author / illustrator
Lois Ehlert uses
brilliant color and
full-page collage
paintings to tell the
story of a curious little neighbor-hood
squirrel who found a way into her
Milwaukee apartment! We discover how
the clever squirrel got himself into her
home, and how she got him out
again(there’s a clue in the title). Illustrated
in bold, bright images and large text, this
is a great story for children who are learn-ing
to read along. The “Squirrel Talk”
section is full of fun facts about squirrels.
This new edition is paper-bound and
affordable, a great price for a story your
kids will love to read over and over.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 11
by
Brady Fowler
To check out books
reviewed in
All Together Now!
contact
the NC Early
Intervention Library
517 West Fleming Dr.,
NC School for the Deaf
Morganton NC 28655
828.432.5267
email
ncei.library@ncmail.net
www.ncei-eclibrary.org
Splash, Joshua,
Splash!
by Malachy Doyle
illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN 1-58234-837-5
Wherever Joshua goes, he finds
something that goes “Splash”! Wearing big
red rubber boots, he throws bread in the
river to feed the ducks, walks the dog
through puddles, plays at the water foun-tain.
And what does he like to say?
“Splash!” Joshua and his Granny go to
swimming too. Together they zoom down
the twisting Gigantic Slide and Splash into
the pool! They ride the slide again … and
again! As the big red bus takes them home
in the rainy afternoon we see them snug-gling
together, happy and tired from a
day’s splashing. This book is easy and fun
to read. Preschoolers will enjoy the over-sized
images and big brushstrokes. I think
you’ll find they like to say “Splash!” too.
My First
Chinese New Year
by Karen Katz
Henry Holt & Company
ISBN 0-8050-7076-1
Chinese New Year is a colorful,
joyous celebration full of tradi-tion,
delicious food, and plenty of
excitement. Illustrated in block-print
style, this is a boldly colored,
well-composed book. The holiday is
described by a little girl as she helps her
family prepare for the New Year festivities.
Each page illustrates a different aspect of
the holiday, starting at home and ending
with a visit to Chinatown for the New
Year’s Day parade, complete with Lion
Dancers, drums, cymbals, and the Dragon
Dance for good luck in the New Year.
A great multi-cultural learning book.
12 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005 Contact PFI
PFI Inclusion Specialists
Pat Wesley, Director
Partnerships for Inclusion
521 South Greensboro St., Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.962.7356 919.843.5784 (fax) pat_wesley@unc.edu
Susan Deans
Whiteville CDSA
204 Memory Plaza,
Whiteville NC 28472
910.642.4343 910.642.3871 (fax) susan.deans@ncmail.net
Brenda Dennis
Partnerships for Inclusion
521 South Greensboro St., Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.962.7359 919.843.5784 (fax) brenda_dennis@unc.edu
Katherine Laveck
Asheville DEC
119 Tunnel Rd., Suite D
Asheville NC 28805
828.225.1078 828.251.6911 (fax) katherine.laveck@ncmail.net
Rhodus Riggins, Jr.
Partnerships for Inclusion
521 South Greensboro St., Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.966.8915 919.843.5784 (fax) rhodus_riggins@unc.edu
Sandy Steele
DEC Annex, Irons Bldg., ECU
Oglesby Drive
Greenville NC 27858
252.328.9333 252.328.5510 (fax) steele@mail.fpg.unc.edu
Libby Wilson
33 Baker Place
Arden NC 27704
828.231.6720 libby.wilson@ncmail.net
Get in touch with your regional Children’s
Developmental Services Agency 4
3Contact your regional PFI Inclusion specialist
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 13
CDSA
919-662-4600
Fax: 919-662-4473
Tim.Pritchard@ncmail.net
ROCKY MOUNT (Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston,
Nash, Northampton, Wilson)
Pat Adams, MS, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
111 Medical Arts Mall
Rocky Mount NC 27804
252-443-8858
Fax: 252-443-0275
Pat.Adams@ncmail.net
SANDHILLS (Anson, Harnett, Hoke, Lee,
Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Scotland)
Kent Haywood, MSW, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
DEC of the Sandhills
110 South Hancock Street Suite 200
Rockingham NC 28379
State Courier #03-81-32
Wadesboro: 704-694-5186
Wadesboro Fax: 704-694-7803
Rockingham: 910-997-9240
Rockingham Fax: 910-997-9115
Kent.Haywood@ncmail.net
SHELBY (Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Polk,
Rutherford)
Kay Yarboro, MA, CCC-SLP, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
1429 East Marion Street Suite 5
Shelby NC 28150
State Courier # 06-52-07
704-480-5440
704-480-5480
Fax: 704-480-5477
Fax: 704-480-5507
Kay.Yarboro@ncmail.net
WILMINGTON (Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New
Hanover, Pender)
Ron Manson, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
3311 Burnt Mills Drive, Suite 100
Wilmington, NC 28403-2654
State Courier #04-19-43
910-251-5817
Fax: 910-251-2652
Ron.Manson@ncmail.net
WINSTON-SALEM (Davidson, Davie, Forsyth,
Stokes, Surry, Yadkin)
Donald Goldstein, PhD, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Amos Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital
3325 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103
336-774-2400
336-774-2402
Fax: 336-760-3018
dgoldst@wfubmc.edu
ASHEVILLE (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Transyl-vania)
Gene Perrotta, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
119 Tunnel Road Suite D
Asheville NC 28805
State Courier #12-51-02
828-251-6091
Fax: 828-251-6911
Gene.Perrotta@ncmail.net
BOONE (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell,Watauga,
Wilkes, Yancey) Doug Galke, MA, MPA, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
150 Den-Mac Drive
Boone NC 28607-6543
828-265-5391
Fax: 828-265-5394
Doug.Galke@ncmail.net
CHARLOTTE (Mecklenburg)
John Ellis, PhD, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Carlton G.Watkins Center
3500 Ellington Street
Charlotte NC 28211
704-336-7100
Fax: 704-336-7112
ellisjl@co.mecklenburg.nc.us
CONCORD (Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan, Stanly, Union)
Gale Coor, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
342 Penny Lane
Concord NC 28025-1216
State Courier # 05-06-04
704-786-9181
Fax: 704-792-9198
Gale.Coor@ncmail.net
CULLOWHEE (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood,
Jackson, Macon, Swain)
Jane Minor, BSN, M.Ed., Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee NC 28723
828-227-7488
Fax: 828-227-7142
jminor@email.wcu.edu
DURHAM (Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville,
Orange, Person, Vance,Warren)
Dana Baldwin, RN, MSN, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
115 Market Street, Suite 201
Durham NC 27701-3221
State Courier # 17-28-03
919-560-5600
Fax: 919-560-3018
Dana.Baldwin@ncmail.net
ELIZABETH CITY (Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare,
Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell,
Washington)
Gregory A. Michael, D.Ed., Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
PO BOX 189
Elizabeth City NC 27909
252-338-4044
Fax: 252-338-4365
gam@ppcc.dst.nc.us
FAYETTEVILLE (Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, Samp-son)
Ann Crane, MS, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
1211-A Ireland Drive
Fayetteville NC 28304
910-486-1605
Fax: 910-486-1590
Ann.Crane@ncmail.net
GREENSBORO (Alamance, Caswell, Guilford,
Randolph, Rockingham)
Nancy Norman, M.Ed., Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Self-Help Public Interest Center
122 North Elm Street Suite 400
Greensboro NC 27401
336-334-5601
Fax: 336-334-5657
Nancy.Norman@ncmail.net
GREENVILLE (Beaufort, Bertie, Greene, Hyde, Martin,
Pitt,Wayne)
Gary Stainback, PhD, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
East Carolina University
Irons Building Charles Blvd
Greenville NC 27858-4354
State Courier # 01-42-08
252-328-4480
Fax: 252-328-4486
stainbackg@mail.ecu.edu
MORGANTON/HICKORY (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell,
Catawba, McDowell)
Wilson Hamer, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
517-E West Fleming Drive
Morganton NC 28655
828-432-5430
Fax: 828-432-5545
Wilson.Hamer@ncmail.net
NEW BERN (Carteret, Craven, Jones,
Lenoir, Onslow, Pamlico)
Wendy Chapman, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
2842 Neuse Blvd., New Bern, NC 28562
State Courier #16-60-02
252-514-4770
Fax: 252-514-4773
Wendy.Chapman@ncmail.net
RALEIGH (Wake)
Timothy Pritchard, CPM, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
319 Chapanoke Road Suite 101
2074 Mail Service Center
Raleigh NC 27699-2074
State Courier #53-51-12
Children’s Developmental Services Agencies
From state website last updated November 2, 2004
14 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Getting to know Drew
When Drew was born with Down syndrome 20
years ago in rural Indiana, we had Early Inter-vention,
but not as it is today; this was before
the federal and state laws were legislated. It was
very confusing.We didn't have one place to go
and learn about having a child with a disability.
My physician didn't know a lot about Down
syndrome, and the things I read at libraries
depressed me.The terminology was quite nega-tive.
I struggled with my feelings: what am I going to
do with this child? I’m not prepared, I know he's
going to take a lot of work, I don't know how to
do it! How do I find services?
The person who made the difference at that
critical time was actually our family home child
care provider. Her name is Vera Felling, but we
call her Grandma. She had heard about Drew
through the grapevine, and came to see us and
meet Drew.She picked him up,held him,and he
reached out and grabbed her finger.He was only
a few weeks old but you could tell there was an
immediate bond between them.
She asked “What are you going to do,will you go
back to work?" I was uncertain; I wanted to
work part-time but I didn’t know what to do
about Drew.
“They're telling me he needs all this interven-tion:
physical therapy, speech therapy, occupa-tional
therapy, it's overwhelming.”
I thought I’d have to take him to a special
program, but Grandma Felling said, “Look at
him … look how cute he is ... I think I can learn
the things he needs. If you get somebody to
come and talk to me, I think I can do this."
The next thing she said sticks out in my mind:
“You need to take him everywhere.He's a baby,
everybody's going to love him!” Taking him
everywhere made sense to me.Why hide, why
keep him sheltered? Grandma knew including
Drew in everyday activities would help him
grow. She gave us the confidence to include
Drew in the world.
She was my inspiration! We had a great relation-ship
before Drew was born, and Down
syndrome didn't scare her. It was something she
wanted to take on. She knew what to do ���or
figured it out— before we even knew there was
a “way” to do it. She always asked “What would
Drew be doing if he didn’t have Down
syndrome?”
Learning as we go
Other early intervention providers came to me
and said “I don't know that much about Down
syndrome, but I want to learn along with you.”
They went with us to the hospital —this was
before we could get therapy at home—and
learned what we learned. The providers would
say “let's go knock on doors and ask.” Profes-sionals
were so good to us, offering whatever
knowledge they had. I can’t count how many
FamilyFocus
Brother
included
by Sandy
Steele
For the last 15
years, Sandy has
been an Inclusion
Specialist for PFI,
serving the eastern
region.
ATN talked with Sandy Steele about raising her sons Derek and
Drew. She shares her insights about the challenges she faced and
the brother’s remarkable relationship.
wouldn't have had him do. But Drew was his
brother, and Derrick was going to show him the
things he needed to know that only a brother
could teach.
Support and success
Looking back over the past twenty years, Drew
has made and kept friends throughout his life.
In preschool, kids learned sign language along
with him. They remember being in preschool
with him, and remember learning to sign.
Those kids he grew up with are so supportive of
him! As families we fear that other kids will
make fun of our child, but the kids who really
got to know Drew supported him throughout.
They let me know if somebody was bullying
him, and they would look out for him.
We fought to keep him in inclusive classes with
his friends. Of all the things Drew has learned,
those friendships mean more to him, to us and
the community because people see that interac-tion
and how much people love Drew.
We know he'll be successful, whatever course
his life takes,wherever he goes.Not just because
of us, but because of everyone around him.
Really, it’s because of Drew. He made this
happen himself, he wanted to be out there with
everybody.
A transplanted Hoosier, Sandy helped establish
the Family Support Network of Eastern North
Carolina and still serves as a resource and
support parent for the parent-to-parent group.
people we worked with along the way who made
a difference because they were there to encour-age
us.
In Indiana we drove an hour to the hospital for
therapy. Though the therapists were hospital-based,
they had an intuitive knowledge of how
therapy needs to work in the family.They asked
“How can we play, how can we make it fun?”
When the therapy was finished for the day, a
group of students would watch the children,and
all the parents would meet together with a social
worker to discuss our parenting issues, along
with dealing with our emotions.
Two things I took away from that experience:
you have to make therapy fun in the context of
what the family can do, and you have to
“connect” families for mutual support.
Twenty years later, look at all that’s been written
about inclusion; it comes from those people
who just went out there and did it, people will-ing
to try things.
Brothers and friends
Having a child with special needs affects every-one
in the family, not just Mom and Dad.
Derrick and Drew went through lots of natural
growth in their relationship as brothers; but
early on Derrick insisted on learning why and
how Drew was different from other babies. He
had to deal with questions from other kids,
sometimes being embarrassed or hurt by them.
He had a lot of things to work through, but he
also had Drew!
Drew has great social skills. My husband Mike
has been a great role model; he’s very outgoing.
Drew learned the complexity of the rules of
making friends–when to shake hands, how to
make people feel good about themselves. He
was born with Mike’s sociable nature, but he's
had the opportunity to learn those social skills,
and the ability to do it.
Derrick went head-on with Drew about “guy”
things like wrestling, making him do things I
ATN!
“The most significant experience in my life has to be my brother.
I do not know if you would call my brother an event, but he has
definitely strengthened my character. My brother Drew has
Down syndrome. He is the most wonderful person in the world
to me. I am not saying we do not fight like brothers, but I love my
brother with all my heart.
Throughout my life I have always volunteered helping with my
brother and other children with special needs and I know it has had a positive
influence on the way I see the world and other people. Many people that I have
met are very biased towards people with special needs and I wish they could see
how loving and incredible people with special needs are. I strongly believe that
my brother has strengthened my character. Someone’s character can also be
defined as their moral strength. I feel that your morals are based on past experi-ences
and what you have been taught. My brother,who is very concerned with the
details of everyday life, has caused me to stop and think about how lucky I am to
be myself. My brother has more courage than I could ever imagine having and he
does not even realize it. To go through life the way he does seems to me to take an
enormous amount of courage but to him it is a day at a time. Sometimes I will
just sit back and watch my brother play with his toys or read and I just smile and
appreciate life more and more.”
—Derek Steele
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 15
Essay by Derek Steele,
written at age 18
Drew today
16 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
by Caroline
Butler
Caroline is an early
childhood consultant
and former
preschool teacher.
Feature
Put together high quality child care with
inclusion with specialized services
provided in the natural environment, and
you’ve got a program to brag about!
Quality and inclusion from
the start
From the beginning, the purpose for Step-ping
Stones Learning Center was to offer
high quality care and education for young
children. With the support of parent
organization, United Cerebral Palsy, the
center opened in April, 1995. Designed
and operated for all children, from day one
Stepping Stones has welcomed children
with and without special needs and their
families. Then unique among UCP
centers, it began with a 50/50 ratio for
inclusion.
According to former founding director,
Joni Pavlik, Stepping Stones was the first
center in Lee County and the first UCP
The sand hills town of Sanford is
famous for its potters and pottery festival,
its historic downtown and railroad
station, and its thriving community
theatre scene. Likewise within the region’s
early childhood community, Sanford is
known for its highly regarded early child-hood
program/child care center, Stepping
Stones Learning Center.
What has won this center such attention
and respect? First is the high quality of the
educational services and the environment
that Stepping Stones provides for children
ages birth through five. Second is its lead-ership
among child development
programs for embracing the practice of
inclusion. Third is the specialized services
it offers in the enhanced natural environ-ments
Stepping Stones has created.
Stepping Stones
to Inclusion
Easter Seals UCP Stepping Stones
Learning Center
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 17
center in North Carolina to receive
national accreditation from NAEYC.“I was
so proud that we accomplished that within
our first three years after opening!” Pavlik
recalled.
Having set this high standard of quality
for itself, the program soon volunteered to
be assessed using the then new (2000)
North Carolina Star Rated License System.
By 2001, Stepping Stones had earned the
system’s highest rating, five stars, and
another first in Lee County.
In addition to child care, for children
enrolled who have special needs, Stepping
Stones provides special education and
therapy services within the child care
setting. Over time, Stepping Stones has
expanded its array of services. Through
project ECHOES, three inclusion special-ists
provide outreach and early interven-tion
in the community for children ages
birth-to-three years and their families.
Some special therapies are available for
children not enrolled in child care.
5-star, beyond compliance
Since parents want superior quality in a
child care program for their children, it
makes sense that Stepping Stones is in
demand. As the one inclusive five-star
center in Lee County, Stepping Stones has
a waiting list for children without special
needs. The list totals 20 for all classes.
Twelve are waiting for its infant room (on
our visit,we saw why!).
Before entering the infant class we’re given
slippers to put on over our shoes. “And
please wash your hands,” requests teacher
Wanda Parker. (In fact, as part of our tour,
we’re asked to wash our hands when
entering any classroom.) “This is just part
of what it takes to maintain the quality of
a five-star center,” emphasizes director
Emily Page. “We strictly adhere to the
Division of Child Development rules and
regulations.”
The environment
Gina Taylor rocks her infant son Logan
before leaving him for the day. Colin’s
mom reads to him before she leaves.
These very personal and important sepa-ration
rituals are encouraged by the
program. Other signs of quality infant
care abound, such as the soft furnishings,
the posted individual feeding schedules,
and photos at the children’s level. Fun,
developmentally appropriate toys are
being used by children with and without
Colin & his mom enjoy Babar!
All for one and one for all! Teacher Keisha Burch and the Pre-K group
Counting steps: Inclusion specialist Misty and Cristal
special needs. Teachers sit on the floor to
facilitate interactions.
And so it goes, as we visit the other three
well-equipped and attractive classrooms,
star quality is apparent. The center also
has classes for toddlers, twos, and three-five
year olds. Child-staff ratios meet or
exceed national standards for quality.
Keeping qualified staff
Recently the center advertised for two
staff positions. This was a rare event since
most staff have worked at the center from
2 to 9 years. From a pool of 40 applicants,
Stepping Stones hired a teacher with a 4-
year degree in early childhood. The
Education Coordinator has a Master’s
degree and is working towards her B-K
license. Three teachers have associates
degrees.
The center encourages all teachers to
further their professional development.
Stepping Stones participates in the Child-care
Services Association’s T.E.A.C.H.
Early Childhood® Project and Child Care
WAGE$® Project to support their staff ’s
education.
How does this center keep such qualified
staff? By investing in higher salaries and
benefits than are offered by most child
care centers. One such benefit is the
discounted fee for child care that
UCP/Easter Seals gives its employees. Five
Stepping Stones staff members have chil-dren
who attend.“Also I think it’s the staff-child
ratios and the family atmosphere
here,” responds Emily, “Everyone here is
committed to working with children with
disabilities.”
Learning for all in the
natural environment
All Easter Seals/UCP child care programs
in NC strive to be 50/50 inclusive. This
means half the enrolled population have
disabilities and half do not. Part of Step-ping
Stones’ philosophy is that children
with disabilities are children first, and
above and beyond that, they possess
certain special needs that require environ-mental
adaptations to allow these children
to reach their fullest potential.
Staff adapt the environment to enable
children with disabilities to benefit from
experiences available to children without.
Therapists facilitate learning through play.
Some of the special therapies are embed-ded
in the typical activities of the day.
Children can practice skills in their class-room
and outdoor environments. Chil-
Playing for keeps
Benjamin has fun during physi-cal
therapy at Stepping Stones.
His mother and he drive from
Lillington because they prefer
this setting over the medical
facilities where he has spent
much of his young life.
Benjamin was born prema-turely
and, due to an intestinal
infection, has gone through a
number of surgeries. He
recently spent two months
making the transition from
tube feeding to eating inde-pendently.
His mother chose Stepping
Stones because she wanted
him to return to
a service envi-ronment
more
like school and
less like the
hospital. As you
can see, he loves
it, and the ther-apy
is going well.
18 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Having a seriously good time with toys
He shoots, he scores!
longer in good condition. Recently Step-ping
Stones sent out an appeal to families
to share the center’s “wish list” with their
employers, churches, and civic clubs. This
successful campaign garnered both
parent and community donations of time
and resources. On “Transformation Day”
staff and families painted all of the class-rooms.
They purchased needed classroom
supplies and toys, now being used by the
children. Soon, donated new carpet will
be installed.
Also the cost of maintaining NAEYC
accreditation is high. Stepping Stones is
hoping that through the encouragement
and help of the Lee County Partnership
for Children, the center can again become
nationally accredited.
Ending our visit
As Emily and I walk around the pre-K
classroom, she wonders aloud whether
the displayed cardboard tube snake made
by the children will count as 3-D art on an
item in the ECERS-R.We ponder together.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 19
dren without disabilities may choose to be
involved with another child and therapist.
Everyone learns together.
For example, picture cards and picture
books with printed words are placed in
every class to help children communicate
in centers, at meals, during play. The
picture cards and books are tailored by
the speech therapist for specific children’s
needs. Because such activities support
language and early literacy skill develop-ment,
all children benefit.
A Job Chart includes “friend helper.” Each
child gets turns as helper of all friends.
Any child can get help when wanted. This
activity encourages social interactions
between children. It fosters the under-standing
that we all need help sometimes.
(And, even helpers need help sometimes!)
Community Support
One challenge to maintaining high quality
is finding the financial resources to
replace furnishings and toys that are no
Then she reaches for a well worn copy of
All About the ECERS-R. Finding the item,
“Here it is. Yes, it counts!” she says with
pride and relief. We see another important
factor that affects quality in child care: the
education and commitment of directors.
With so many indicators of quality, it’s no
wonder that Easter Seals/UCP Stepping
Stones Learning Center is a popular spot
in Sanford. ATN!
Hattie at play
Zachary checks us out at the playground
20 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
In the last ATN issue you described free
training and consultation services offered by
Partnerships for Inclusion. Can you tell me
more about consultation? When would my
program want consultation versus training?
Partnerships for Inclusion (PFI) has
provided training to literally thousands of
early childhood professionals throughout
the past decade.Although we will continue
to offer this service, we are pleased that
more and more program directors and
agency representatives are asking about
consultation. This is encouraging because
changes that programs make through a
consultation process in which many staff
participate are likely to last longer than
changes introduced by one or two staff
people who attend a training session off-site.
Here are some of the topics that PFI inclu-sion
specialists and community practition-ers
have been able to address through
consultation:
w Identifying and connecting with local
resources to enrich services to families
of children with disabilities
w Conducting community forums to
develop plans for ensuring children’s
smooth transitions between infant-toddler
and preschool services
w Modifying teaching strategies to
embed interventions for children with
disabilities within the typical routines
and activities of the classroom
w Supporting family child care home
providers as they prepare to serve
infants and toddlers with special
needs.
What does the consultation process
involve?
Step 1
Someone from a community program
contacts PFI with a request for help. As in
some of the above examples, the identified
need may be best served through consulta-tion
rather than training sessions.Bringing
in a PFI inclusion specialist to work with
program staff in their real work environ-ments
and with access to their materials
and children guarantees that services will
AskPFI
by Pat Wesley
Pat is director of
Partnerships For
Inclusion
Getting started
Consulting with PFI inclusion specialists
be individualized.
Sometimes representatives from several
agencies wish to improve overall services
for young children in their community and
recognize that to do so, they will need to
meet several times. They feel they could
benefit from a PFI inclusion specialist’s
knowledge of policies and recommended
practices, and from his or her experiences
with similar efforts in other communities.
Step 2
A first meeting is scheduled. During the
early stages of consultation the program
staff or community representatives and PFI
inclusion specialist begin to build positive,
trusting relationships. They begin to work
together to clarify the program or commu-nity’s
need and whether or not PFI can help.
If it is decided that PFI consultation services
are appropriate, then the program staff or
community representatives become
“consultees” of PFI. If the need does not
appear to be one that PFI can address, the
PFI inclusion specialist will assist by refer-ring
the program to other resources.
Step 3
With collaboration from the PFI inclusion
specialist, consultees determine what addi-tional
information is needed to be able to
set clear goals for consultation. They begin
to gather this information.
Step 4
Again, with help from PFI, consultees set
goals for the consultation process. What
outcomes do they wish to accomplish? How
can those outcomes be measured?
Step 5
Strategies for each goal are defined. What
strategies will be used? Who will do what
and when? Consultees develop an overall
timeline showing who is responsible for
implementing the strategies. The timeline
estimates when the consultation process
will come to an end.
Step 6
With support from the PFI inclusion
specialist, consultees begin to implement
the strategies. Work on the goals may take
weeks or months. During this time the PFI
inclusion specialist continues to make visits
to provide resources and support.His or her
role may change,depending on the needs of
the consultees. For example, the inclusion
specialist may offer training or link consul-
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 21
tees with other programs or communities
engaged in similar activities. Throughout
implementation consultees and the PFI
inclusion specialist discuss how things are
going,both in terms of what goals are being
accomplished and how the consultation
process and relationship feel.
Step 7
Consultees evaluate how things have gone.
What was accomplished? What remains to
be done? What other resources are needed
to sustain the effort? What aspects of the
consultation process have been most or
least helpful?
Step 8
The PFI inclusion specialist and consultees
hold final meetings to review progress and
celebrate success. They finalize plans to
terminate consultation.
If you think your program or community
could benefit from PFI consultation,
contact the inclusion specialist in your
region.
Inclusion
specialists by
region
To find detailed contact information for your regional inclusion specialist, go to page 12
Cherokee
Graham
Clay
Macon
Haywood
Tran-sylvania
Henderson
Buncombe
Madison
Mitchell
Yancey
McDowell
Burke
Caldwell
Ashe
Watauga
Avery
Wilkes
Alleghany
Surry
Yadkin
Iredell
Alex-ander
Catawba
Lincoln
Cleveland Gaston
Davie
Forsyth
Stokes
Davidson
Rowan
Cabarrus
Mecklenburg
Union
Stanly
Anson
Montgo-mery
Randolph
Guilford
Rockingham Caswell
Alamance
Chatham
Moore
Lee
Richmond
Orange
Person
Durham
Wake
Granville
Vance
Franklin
Harnett
Hoke
Scot-land
Robeson
Cumberland
Bladen
Columbus
Brunswick
Pender
New
Han-over
Duplin
Sampson
Johnston
Wayne Lenoir
Onslow
Jones
Carteret
Craven Pamlico
Pitt Beaufort
Greene
Wilson
Nash
Edgecombe
Martin
Bertie
Halifax
Warren
Northampton
Hertford
Gates
Washington
Hyde
Tyrrell Dare
Currituck
Camden
Pasquotank
Perquimans
Chowan
Rutherford
Polk
Jackson
Swain
Katherine Laveck
Libby Wilson
Rhodus Riggins
Susan Deans
Brenda Dennis
Sandy Steele
ATN!
Spotlight
Inclusion today
Austin is having a great time making
the transition to kindergarten at
Evergreen Elementary School! Born
with cerebral palsy he faced signifi-cant
challenges from birth, but his
family and professionals worked
together to help him grow and
develop. Austin’s preschool teacher
was confident he could move to
kindergarten, and Evergreen’s Principal was eager to to
have Austin in school. This August at an IEP meeting,
the family made the decision to place Austin in kinder-garten,
and the outcome has been terrific.
Austin attends kindergarten every day.He gets one-on-one
support from Ms. Margaret Henderson, who also
has a 22 year-old son with cerebral palsy. Austin loves
Margaret, and her experience has helped him and his
family. At Evergreen, the children and teachers are
adjusting to fully include Austin, and principal Alan
22 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Listening during story time
Taylor, Austin and Rikki Michelle
Photos by
Susan Dean,
PFI inclusion
specialist
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 23
Austin loves to play video games with his sister Taylor.
His oldest sister, Rikki Michelle, always includes him in
the things she does, from playing and working around
the house to practicing her cheerleading !
We followed Austin and his class to the Columbus
County Fair, and he had the best time of any kid there!
He got to pet a donkey and to help milk a cow,and as the
picture shows, he seems to take to it naturally.
Faulk has provided great leadership and support for
Austin, his family and teacher Janice Johnson.
His mother has only positive things to say about his
transition. He is excited about school, so much so that
he doesn’t always have time to say goodbye when she
drops him off!
School has also given Austin a much higher level of
interest in learning, and a will to make progress in
speech and physical therapy. When he comes home,
from school he and his Mom count his remaining lunch
money together.He is excited about what he has learned
each day.
Jingle bell fun!
Just a little nuzzle...
ATN!
Asheville Fairview Elementary School Head Start
Aurora S&T Daycare Home
Bethel Down Home Child Care
Cary Children's Campus At Preston
Charlotte Granny's Child Care
Charlotte Happy Hearts Child Care, Inc.
Clemmons Nanny Kat's Home Daycare
Clemmons New Horizon's Child Care
Clinton Honeybee's Inc.
Concord Coltrane-Webb Kids:Plus
Durham Aunt Jane's Home Daycare
Beverly's Bundles
Christian Prep Academy
Mandy's Corner
Precious Moment Home Care
Precious Moments Daycare
Primary Colors Day Care
Right Start Christian Home Center
Eden Little Hands Child Care
Fayetteville Moore Home Day Care
Germanton Germanton Elementary Preschool
Greensboro Bayberry Patch
Hunter Haven Child Care
Loving Arms Family Child Care
Precious Angels
Precious Daughters & Sons
Sutton's Child Care
Hayes Mountain View Elementary
Pre Kindergarten
Hickory Footprints Christian Childcare
Winnie The Pooh & Friends
High Point Jane Leonard's Educational Facility
Nest Of Angels Day Care Home
Partner's Christian Child Care
Teresa Brown Child Care
Holly Springs For Young Minds Child Development
Lenoir Home Away From Home
Linden Just Like Home Day Care Home
Lumberton Thompson's Day Care Home
Marshall Madison School Age Care-
Brush Creek Elementary
Matthews Kids Are First Child Development Center
Mcclainsville Learning And Loving Child Care Home
Moravian Falls Moravian Falls Elementary Pre K
Murphy Hiwassee Dam Union School Pre-K
Murphy Marble Elementary School Pre-K
Murphy Elementary School Pre-K
Newton Oakwood Elementary Kid Connection
Startown Preschool
North Wilkesboro North Wilkesboro Elementary Pre K
Robbinsville Rhs Child Care Center
Rocky Mount Peg's Day Care Home
Spruce Pine Meg's Little People Day Care
Statesville Pea Pods Child Care
Traphill Traphill Elementary Pre Kindergarten
Walnut Cove Walnut Cove Elementary Pre-K
Wendell Bt's Home Day Care
Wilmington Chesterbrook Academy
Wilson Fresh Start
Winston Salem Model City Child Dev. Center
Winterville A Place For Me Two
Non-Profit Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit 177
Chapel Hill, NC
Addressee: Please share ATN! with your colleagues.
Reaching the 5 Stars
521 S. Greensboro Street • Ste. 100
Carrboro NC 27510-2341
New 5-Star Programs
Programs awarded August 15 through November 15, 2004 or not previously listed.
Please note: Partnerships for Inclusion does not compile this list. It comes from the Division of Child Development.

Click tabs to swap between content that is broken into logical sections.

Natural Environments
Winter 2005 Vol. 11, No.1
TOC
All Together Now! is published three times per year.
Letters, contributions, subscription requests, or reprint
requests should be sent to
All Together Now!
521 South Greensboro Street, Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.966.0059 • FAX 919.843.5784
email: ATN_editor@mail.fpg.unc.edu
www.fpg.unc.edu/~atn
24,000 copies of All Together Now! were printed at a
cost of ___¢ each.
3 Concept Universal Design
by Karen Luken
6 Policy Update Duncan Munn Q&A
by Duncan Munn
8 Research Evidence-based Practice
by Virginia Buysse
10 Books Reviews
by Brady Fowler
12 Contact Get in touch with PFI & CDSA
14 Family Focus Brother Included
by Sandy Steele
16 Feature Stepping Stones
by Caroline Butler
20 Ask PFI Working with PFI Consultants
by Pat Wesley
22 Spotlight Inclusion Today
24 Programs Reaching the 5 Stars
The latest programs to receive 5 stars
Editor’s Notes
It’s a pleasure to join the staff of PFI, and an honor to
take up editing this magazine after Molly Weston’s fine
work. You all know Molly as a great interviewer and
ardent book-lover. It’s quite a challenge to meet the
standards she set. My own career has been a creative
journey: I started working in the theatre, and moved to
North Carolina 22 years ago to run my own touring
puppet company. For the next seven years I performed in public
schools all over the state, a formative and inspirational experience. In
‘90 I took a turn back at grad school, received an M.Ed and made a
subsequent career in publication and instructional design, much of it
at UNC in Chapel Hill. In fact I was working at the Frank Porter
Graham Child Development Institute when Molly came to work on
ATN! Now some nine years later, I find myself back at FPG, working
with the PFI team. But we all know one thing … no one can replace
Molly Weston, and we can’t thank her enough.
So I won’t try to replace Ms.Molly. But I can give you good reviews of
children’s literature, bring you new information about the world we
work in, and get the word out about ideas that matter to young children
and their families. It’s great to be here!
A publication of
Partnerships for Inclusion
Pat Wesley, Director
Editor Brady Fowler
Designer Gina Harrison
Photographer Don Trull
Proofreaders Dave Sanel
Caroline Butler
Editorial Board & Contributing Agencies
Kathy Baars NC Public Schools Early
Childhood/Exceptional Children
Karen Chester NC Interagency Coordinating Council
for Children Ages Birth to Five with
Special Needs
Mabel Dillard Family Support Network
Karen Ferguson NC Division of Child Development
Gina Harrison FPG Child Development Institute
Katherine Laveck NC Division of Early Childhood,
a division of the Council for
Exceptional Children
Ron Moore Head Start
Duncan Munn Early Intervention Branch
Pat Wesley FPG Child Development Institute
Play is one of the main ways young chil-dren
learn about the world. In recent years we
have talked about how to make sure all chil-dren
can access their environment for play
and learning—including children with vision
and hearing loss, children with developmental
disabilities, children who use wheelchairs and
walkers. This article takes us a step further by
introducing the concept of universal design,
an approach to designing objects and environ-ments
that can be used by all people,with and
without special needs.
Universal Design
Universal design means thinking about the
broad range of children and adults who use
your environment. Universal design means
products and buildings that are accessible and
usable by everyone, including people with
disabilities. Universal design pays attention to
the needs of all people: older adults, young
people, and children, people with permanent
disabilities and those with temporary activity
limitations, people who are left handed and
right handed, men and women. The goal of
universal design goes beyond just physical
accessibility and brings about a sense of
belonging and feeling valued and accepted!
Think about the many ways universal design
has become part of our everyday life. Remem-ber
the last time you were carrying several
boxes and dreaded having to put things down
on the ground in order to open that heavy front
door? Fortunately, you were able to conserve
your time and energy by pushing a large auto-matic
door opener with your hip or arm. This
universal design technology also makes it
easier for a person using a wheelchair to use
the primary building entrance independently.
w Curb cuts make it easier for both a person
in a wheelchair and a parent pushing a
stroller to cross the street.
w Kitchen and garden tools with large grip
handles are now standard commercial
products that make cooking and garden-ing
tasks easier for older adults, persons
with arthritis, and the “weekend athlete”
dealing with tennis elbow.
Creating environments for every child
Universal Design
by Karen
Luken, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator
for the North
Carolina Office on
Disability and
Health at the FPG
Child Development
Institute.
Concept
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 3
Universal design is not just a set of guidelines, it’s a way of thinking. This article gives
an overview of the principles that guide universal design, and practical examples for
good design in child care settings
Universal design makes everyone’s life easier
It’s as much an attitude as a list of design prod-ucts
and measurements.
Environments for children
Creating universally accessible environments
for children means we look at what children do
in play, and design for every child. Let’s look at
some typical activities from a universal design
viewpoint:
Imaginative play
Children love to explore the world of adults
through dress up and role play.Make sure that
the clothing and accessories can be used by
everyone. Have clothes and accessories that
can be worn comfortably and safely by a child
sitting in a wheelchair, using a walker, or
standing. Have dress up clothes and costumes
that can be put on with one hand, perhaps an
apron that requires no buttons or ties or has
Velcro closures. Clothes with tactile elements
(buttons, zippers, sequins, various tactile
materials) enable a child with vision loss to
knowingly select their special costume. Store
these play materials so that all the children can
access them independently.
Climbing, crawling, sliding
Make sure that climbing structures include
ramps and passageways that allow children
using wheelchairs or walkers to move about
the play area. Build surfaces that are safe for
different types of movement: walking, crawl-ing,
rolling. For play equipment such as slides
and swings, check that the height of the equip-ment
makes it easy for a child using a wheel-chair
or other mobility device to transfer from
the chair in order to play.
Reading
Use large-print books, books on tape, “touch
and feel” books, and books that represent
children and adults with disabilities.
Manipulative Toys
Toys should be able to be manipulated in more
than one way. For example, the steering wheel
4 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
on a pirate’s ship can be turned by hand, by
pulling or pushing a lever that requires mini-mal
strength, as well as by pulling on a knotted
rope. This design approach enables children
with different fine and gross motor skills and
stamina to use the same toy.
Equitable use
The design gives everyone the chance to use the environment in the
same way. Examples: Curb cuts enable someone using a wheelchair and
someone walking to cross the street safely; no-step entrances enable
everyone to use the front door.
Flexibility in use
The design and environment should accommodate a wide range of
individual preferences and abilities. Example: Sliding cabinet doors
that move left and right enable everyone to use a storage cabinet with
ease.
Simple & intuitive
The design is easy to understand, regardless of the user’s knowl-edge,
language skills, or concentration. Example: Bathroom door signs
that use a picture of a girl or boy help everyone locate the right rest-room.
Perceptible information
Use different modes to provide information: visual, auditory, tactile.
Examples: Crosswalk signals that use audio beep signals and a graphic
of a hand counting the remaining seconds to safely cross the street;
telephones with large number buttons and pictures for frequently
called numbers.
Tolerance for error
The environment is designed to protect the user by minimizing the
impact of the user’s error. Example: Outside play surfaces are resilient,
minimizing injury from falls.
Low physical effort
The environment is designed to work with a minimum of effort.
Example: The automatic door opener saves everyone energy.
Size & space for approach
Provide adequate space for use of assistive devices or personal
assistance. Example: Using a standard width for doors and aisles makes
it easier for people of all ages to enter and move around a store.
Principles of
Universal Design
Interactive elements, such as game panels,
sound walls, sand and water tables, and play
props should be within reach of children
using wheelchairs. Because children have
varying gripping strength, offer objects of
different sizes and shapes.
Sensory play
Simple adaptive equipment can allow every-one
to experiment with water play, painting,
and other messy activities. Use paint brushes
with built up handles, a long-handled broom,
and a ground tarp for a child in a wheelchair
so she has the option of painting with her
wheels.
Music and Movement
Consider tape players that provide sound and
flashing lights, and dance activities that allow
children to move their bodies.
Paths of Travel
The environment is not made accessible by
merely adding a paved sidewalk to the play-ground
or adding a ramp or transfer platform
to a piece of play equipment. Transfer points
should have handrails or handholds and be
wide enough for a child in a wheelchair to turn
around safely. This spacing also allows for an
adult to accompany a child on the play struc-ture,
an added safety feature of a well-designed
environment.
Make sure that play areas and structures are
connected by accessible routes so that children
can move around their space as independently
as possible. Paths of travel should be firm,
stable and resilient. Loose fill materials, such
as gravel and sand, are often found in play-grounds,
but these surfaces are problematic as
they limit a wheelchair user’s ability to move
independently. Loose materials should be
contained by a border and periodically cleared
of debris so that a route of travel is not
obstructed.
Signage
Label accessible activities and play structures
so that the children, staff, and visitors can
make the best use of the environment.Attrac-tive
signage helps us all navigate and appreci-ate
our environment.
Conclusion
Universal design means thinking about a
broad range of children and adults who use
your environment. Be creative in your
approach to universal design! Reach out to
other community partners: architects,
builders, landscapers, volunteers, businesses,
and parents. Encourage planners and builders
to think about universal design when they
construct or renovate a building or play space.
Universal design gives us the chance to focus
on people’s similarities and strengths, not just
their differences and limitations. Remember
that universal design is for everyone and has
popular appeal.When all children play together
everyone benefits, including adults. ATN!
Resources
The Center for
Universal Design
www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
800.647.6777
College of Design
North Carolina State University
Campus Box 8613
Raleigh, NC. 27695-8613
Center for Inclusive
Design & Environ-mental
Access
www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/
716.829.3485 extension 329
378 Hayes Hall
School of Architecture & Planning
3435 Main Street
University at Buffalo
Buffalo, NY 14214-3087
National Center on
Physical Activity &
Disability
www.ncpad.org
800.900.8086
1640 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL 60608-6904
Creating Inclusive
Child Care Facilities:
a guide for child care professionals
www.easterseals.com
800.221.6827
Easter Seals
230 West Monroe Street
Suite 1800
Chicago, IL 60606
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 5
Universal design at
play: with plenty
of room for access
and transfer this
festive play area
makes it easier for
children with and
without disabilities
to have a great
time together!
6 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
You started your career 30
years ago in Vance County—
what was that like?
I arrived in Vance county after graduate
school, as head of Developmental Disabilities
in the area mental-health center. Right away I
realized I didn't have the skills that would
make me a specialist in every disability area. I
got people together to work on problems and
tried to develop personal relationships among
professionals and families to make collabora-tion
easier.
For example, when a mother wanted inclusion
for her child —which was a new idea in
1974— I put together a group of people to
discuss the child’s needs.We worked with the
mother, the head of the community college,
the head of nursing at the public health center
and a child care director to create inclusive
services for that child. The team created a
good outcome using each person’s skills to
address the need.
Were things different when you
went to work in Raleigh?
I moved to Raleigh in 1981 to become
statewide administrator for developmental
disabilities in the Mental Health system. The
big difference was the actual size of the
system; there was a myriad of agencies. The
working situation was essentially the same,
except that I had to build relationships with
agencies instead of individuals.
Back then the special needs field was pretty
self-contained—even isolated. At that time,
interactions with other agencies were more
often serendipitous than planned. So, I did a
lot of phoning and introducing myself, and we
worked to reach out, to create bridges to other
agencies.
What goals did you have when
you took over?
In 1981 only 66 counties in North Carolina had
Early Intervention leader retires after 30 years
Duncan Munn Q&A
Duncan Munn
Policy
For many years, Duncan Munn has been a
leader in North Carolina’s system of serv-ices
for infants and toddlers with delays or
disabilities. ATN!’s editor, Brady Fowler,
caught up with Duncan as he prepares for
his retirement in February
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 7
intervention services. My main goal was to
“grow” intervention into all 100 counties in
the state.We saw the need to develop profes-sional
qualifications and a certificate for
infant-toddler specialists. We also needed to
build more inclusive options for infants and
toddlers, in a broader social context that
extended outside of the child’s family.
How has early intervention
policy changed?
We set an expectation that inclusion is “the
right thing to do” and reflected that expecta-tion
in policy:
w Designed intervention policies to
support child care centers, so that centers
could access Special Needs dollars to
fund support personnel (such as early
interventionists) and slot-based child-care
subsidies.
w Established the early intervention
credential and a professional develop-ment
path for early childhood workers.
Early Intervention training opportunities
should focus on the “whole” child as well
as developmental disabilities skills.
We face a major challenge. More children are
coming into the system (some victims of
abuse and neglect) and more providers are
arriving, new to the field.We need to extend a
good professional development foundation to
these workers. The children make up a far
more diverse population than 20 years ago
and special needs are more diverse now. We
are dealing increasingly with autism, and the
early identification of infants with
social/emotional challenges.
Because inclusion is now policy,more service
providers and professionals across the span of
child care, child health and education need to
learn how to work with these kids and their
families.
What is the importance of
families in the progress of
early intervention?
Two factors have contributed to our progress
in early intervention: families and interagency
coordination.When I was in graduate school,
families weren’t even mentioned! But families
in North Carolina worked to increase early
intervention coverage across the state and
succeeded in raising the quality of services.
Families now play a key role as partners in
planning, training, and evaluation in our
system.
The year 1991 brought federal legislation and
new funding for early intervention, and
created the Interagency Collaborating Coun-cils
(ICC).Families are important because they
act not only as advocates for children with
special needs, but also participate actively as
collaborators at the ICC level.
Every Regional ICC has 20% family represen-tation
at the table. This way, families will help
plan the future growth of early intervention.
What do you see happening in
North Carolina now?
We have had a lot of success with interagency
collaboration because of families who are
involved. We’ve got a good funding model to
move into the future, and good ways to get
technical assistance to the care provider
community, such as PFI and early interven-tion
consultants. We have good relationships
among state leaders.
But we do have a gap: we should serve more
children. In North Carolina, statistics show
that 8% of children ages birth-to-five should
qualify for early intervention services; right
now we serve only 3%. Massachusetts is now
serving 7% of their birth-to-toddler popula-tion.
What do child care providers
need to know about early
intervention?
Child care providers are a very important part
of the early intervention system. We depend
on them to educate the young children they
care for and to communicate with children’s
families. If a child care provider has concerns
about a child who might have special needs,
our system is in place to work with providers
and families to help that child. If a child is
under three years old, you can refer the child
to the Children’s Developmental Service
Agency.
What is the link between early
childhood and early interven-tion
fields?
The fields depend upon each other. We need
good child care and technical assistance to
have a good early intervention system. We
can’t take care of our birth-to-five population
without a sound early intervention program.
Agencies and professionals need to plan
policy, professional development, and evalua-tion
of programs. Together, Early childhood
and early intervention can assure the wellbe-ing
our young children. ATN!
and researchers do not turn to practice to
develop new research questions or to interpret
their findings. Yet, the evidence-based practice
movement requires that we find new ways to
bridge these two very different cultural worlds
(research and practice) so that both science and
professional wisdom can contribute to our
knowledge base.
Definition
In medicine evidence-based practice is defined
as “…the integration of best research evidence
with clinical expertise and patient values” (p. 1,
italics added for emphasis; Sackett, Straus,
Richardson, Rosenberg, & Hayes, 2000). If we
were going to adopt a similar definition of
evidence-based practice for the early childhood
field, we might substitute the words family and
professional wisdom for clinical expertise. Simi-larly,
we might expand patient values to include
the values of families, communities, and the
profession as well as the contexts in which inter-ventions
for young children are planned and
implemented.
It is important to distinguish evidence-based
practice from previous attempts to define and
guide practice in the early childhood field.These
previous attempts consist primarily of sets of
written guidelines on effective practices (gener-ated
primarily through an integration of
Virginia Buysse, Ph.D
Senior Scientist,
FPG Child Development
Institute
What does it mean for me?
Evidence-based Practice
Research
8 Vol. 11, No. 1 ��� Winter 2005
In the past several years the term evidence-based
practice has entered the early childhood
field and now appears almost everywhere—in
conference programs, journal articles, and the
World Wide Web. But what exactly does
evidence-based practice mean and how does it
affect the early childhood profession?
Origins
The early childhood field has not yet reached
agreement on a definition of evidence-based
practice. Although the term evidence-based
practice has emerged only within the past
several years, we can expect that the movement
will have a significant impact on the early child-hood
field for many years to come. The term
originated in medicine, but the emphasis on
using evidence to make informed practice deci-sions
also has its foundations in the No Child
Left Behind Act of 2001 (http://www.nochildleft-behind.
gov/net/overview/index.html) and the
larger push for accountability in education that
sets high expectations for all children.
Another factor that helped pave the way for
evidence-based practice was the tension that has
long existed between research and practice (Why
won’t practitioners do what the research says?
Why doesn’t research study what really matters in
practice?). Experience tells us that practitioners
seldom turn to research to refine their practices
How do you make decisions about the way you work with young children and families?
Is what you do guided by the wisdom gained through your professional experiences and
those of families? Which of your strategies are based on sound research? Evidence-based
practice says we should draw from all these sources of knowledge.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 9
research evidence and professional and family
consensus). These practice guidelines represent
an important source of evidence that practition-ers
and parents can use in their quest for effec-tive
practices.
One such resource is the Division for Early
Childhood (DEC) Recommended Practices for
people who live and work with children with
disabilities and their families (Sandall,Hemme-ter,
Smith, & McLean, 2005). These guidelines
are organized around the following practice
categories: direct services (e.g., assessment,
child-focused and family-based interventions,
interdisciplinary models) and indirect services
(e.g., policies, procedures, and professional
development).
Another resource is Developmentally Appropri-ate
Practice in Early Childhood Programs-
Revised, published by the National Association
for the Education of Young Children
(Bredekamp & Copple, 1997). The NAEYC
resource was developed primarily for general
early childhood educators and consists of both
the principles underlying practice and guide-lines
for implementing effective practices in the
classroom and other settings for young children.
The guidelines were based on theory, research
knowledge, and the field’s collective wisdom
about what practices are most supportive of
children’s early development.
Professionals who work in Head Start programs
receive guidance through Program Performance
standards (www.headstartinfo.org/publica-tions/
publicat.htm). These guidelines consist of
regulations that establish performance stan-dards
and minimum requirements in the areas
of health, education, parent involvement, nutri-tion
as well as other Head start services.
A process for decision making
In contrast to previous efforts to guide practice
through written recommendations, evidence-based
practice represents a process for making
informed practice decisions. Let us assume, for
example, that a child care director who recently
attended a conference session on early literacy
wants to work with teachers in her center to
improve language and literacy outcomes in
classrooms serving three year olds. These
professionals need practical information that
will lead to necessary improvements that create
a literacy-rich environment.They want to select
instructional strategies that are developmentally
and individually appropriate for children with
diverse linguistic and cognitive abilities. How
should the director approach this practice
dilemma?
The early childhood field has not yet reached
consensus on the steps in implementing
evidence-based practice, but the process likely
will include the following:
1. Convert the need for information into an
answerable question (e.g.,what practices
have been shown to be effective for
promoting literacy learning among
preschoolers with and without disabili-ties?)
2. Track down the best available research
evidence to answer the question
3. Evaluate the evidence for its validity and
relevance
4. Integrate the research evidence with
professional and family wisdom and
values.
Helpful websites
Although many questions regarding evidence-based
practice remain unanswered, the good
new is that efforts are underway to make this
approach easier for early childhood practition-ers
to use and understand.A growing number of
web sites, for example, now offer reviews and
appraisals of the research evidence on specific
topics such as strategies for promoting positive
peer relations in inclusive classrooms. Some of
these web sites also offer this information in
different formats for different audiences such as
researchers, practitioners, and parents.
Research & Training Center for
Early Childhood Development
http://www.researchtopractice.info
Center on the Social & Emotional Founda-tions
for Early Learning
http://www.csefel.uiuc.edu
Child Trends
http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org
Future efforts to define how evidence-based
practice should be used in the early child-hood
field will require collective questioning
and problem-solving. Hopefully, parents and
practitioners will enter these discussions to
ensure that their wisdom and experiences
are represented in the quest for practices that
are both acceptable and effective for young
children and families. ATN!
References
Sackett, D. L., Straus, S. E., Richardson,W. S., Rosenberg,
W., & Haynes, R. B. (2000). Evidence-based medicine:
How to practice and teach EBM. Edinburgh, NY:
Churchill.
Sandall, S., Hemmeter, M. L., Smith, B. J., & McLean, M. E.
(2005). DEC Recommended Practices:A comprehensive
guide for practical application in early intervention/early
childhood special education. Longmont, CO: Sopris
West and Missoula, MT: Division for Early Childhood.
Bredekamp, S., & Copple, C. (Eds.) (1997). Developmen-tally
appropriate practice in early childhood programs,
revised edition.Washington, DC: National Association
for the Education of Young Children.
Note:This work is summarized from a chapter in a
forthcoming book to be published by Zero to Three
entitled The Evidence-Based Practice Movement:
Issues and Challenges for the Early Childhood Profes-sion
by Virginia Buysse and Patricia W.Wesley.
You’re Not
My Real
Mother!
by Molly Friedrich
illustrated by
Christy Hale
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN 0-316-60553-0
A little Asian girl peers into a hand mirror
and touches her face: she doesn’t look like
her blond mother. A conversation
grows—warm, funny, and realistic. We
learn the things that “real” parents do:
laughing, playing, teaching, helping. The
text is upbeat and natural. Affectionate
illustrations share the humor, love and fun
of a real family. Simple words and images
even explain the difference between a
child’s birth-mother and the mother who
raises her adopted child. This a very effec-tive
story; it answers a question every
adopted child asks.As more parents adopt
children with a different heritage from
their own, a book like this helps teachers
and families to explore the increasing
diversity in our lives.
Goodbye
Mousie
by Robie H.Harris
illustrated by
Jan Oermorod
Alladin Paperback
ISBN 0-689-87134-1
This well-written story narrates a little
boy’s discovery, surprise, and emotions at
the death of his pet mouse. All the stages
of children’s grief are represented; the
parents’ responses help a young child deal
with the fact and meaning of death. This
story is meant to be read aloud; the
pictures are expressive and sympathetic.
An excellent guide and resource.
Animal Snackers
by Betsy Lewin
Henry Holt
ISBN 0-8050-6748-5
If you were an Ostrich,
what would you like for an after-dinner
treat? Where do Raccoons go for a
quick bite at night? What does a Platypus
think is yummy? You can find out the
answer to these and more exciting natural
cuisine questions in this catalog of
between-meal eating habits in the animal
kingdom.Rhymed text and vibrant water-colors
make this a pleasure to read aloud.
Toddlers will love turning the pages as
they learn the names of the animals. From
the mighty Rhinoceros to the tiny Tick-bird,
Lewin’s exuberant brushwork of the
animal world makes this book a good
early lesson in animal species and their
quirky appetites. Best read before lunch...
Everywhere
Babies
by Susan Meyers
illustrated by Marla Frazee
Red Wagon Books / Harcourt
ISBN 0-15-205315-8
This award-winning
book has now been
released in a sturdy 6”x 6” board
format. It’s a warm-hearted look at the
special world of babies, celebrated in
rhyme and beautifully inked illustrations.
We see all the people, things, and activities
that babies know: Mommies, Daddies,
Grandparents, toys, pets, furniture, play
areas, bathtubs, strollers, binkies and
blankies! Meyers and Frazee capture the
sweetness and excitement of infant devel-opment
with fresh imagery and old-school
charm. This book is simply engag-ing.
Infants and toddlers will love to see
and touch the drawings of babies playing,
sleeping, snuggling, crying, making
friends, learning, and just being babies! books 10 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Farmer Dale’s
Red Pickup
Truck
by Lisa Wheeler
illustrated by Ivan Bates
Harcourt Children’s
Books
ISBN 0-15-202319-4
A farmyard fable told in rhyme, this
wonderfully illustrated tale uses vibrant
watercolor drawings of animal personali-ties
to explore how we work in groups to
solve problems. Farmer Dale is driving his
old truck to the Town Talent Show, and all
the animals want to go! The Pig, the Sheep,
the Bossy Cow, the Goat with his accordion
all squeeze in until the truck can’t move at
all.What to do? Lively drawing animates
this story as the animals learn that the best
way to solve a problem is to think together
and cooperate. Children will love the
rhyme and sound of the dialog and narra-tion.
Reading this book is sheer pleasure.
Nuts to You!
by Lois Ehlert
Voyager/Harcourt
ISBN 0-15-205064-7
Awa rd-w i n n ing
author / illustrator
Lois Ehlert uses
brilliant color and
full-page collage
paintings to tell the
story of a curious little neighbor-hood
squirrel who found a way into her
Milwaukee apartment! We discover how
the clever squirrel got himself into her
home, and how she got him out
again(there’s a clue in the title). Illustrated
in bold, bright images and large text, this
is a great story for children who are learn-ing
to read along. The “Squirrel Talk”
section is full of fun facts about squirrels.
This new edition is paper-bound and
affordable, a great price for a story your
kids will love to read over and over.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 11
by
Brady Fowler
To check out books
reviewed in
All Together Now!
contact
the NC Early
Intervention Library
517 West Fleming Dr.,
NC School for the Deaf
Morganton NC 28655
828.432.5267
email
ncei.library@ncmail.net
www.ncei-eclibrary.org
Splash, Joshua,
Splash!
by Malachy Doyle
illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max
Houghton Mifflin
ISBN 1-58234-837-5
Wherever Joshua goes, he finds
something that goes “Splash”! Wearing big
red rubber boots, he throws bread in the
river to feed the ducks, walks the dog
through puddles, plays at the water foun-tain.
And what does he like to say?
“Splash!” Joshua and his Granny go to
swimming too. Together they zoom down
the twisting Gigantic Slide and Splash into
the pool! They ride the slide again … and
again! As the big red bus takes them home
in the rainy afternoon we see them snug-gling
together, happy and tired from a
day’s splashing. This book is easy and fun
to read. Preschoolers will enjoy the over-sized
images and big brushstrokes. I think
you’ll find they like to say “Splash!” too.
My First
Chinese New Year
by Karen Katz
Henry Holt & Company
ISBN 0-8050-7076-1
Chinese New Year is a colorful,
joyous celebration full of tradi-tion,
delicious food, and plenty of
excitement. Illustrated in block-print
style, this is a boldly colored,
well-composed book. The holiday is
described by a little girl as she helps her
family prepare for the New Year festivities.
Each page illustrates a different aspect of
the holiday, starting at home and ending
with a visit to Chinatown for the New
Year’s Day parade, complete with Lion
Dancers, drums, cymbals, and the Dragon
Dance for good luck in the New Year.
A great multi-cultural learning book.
12 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005 Contact PFI
PFI Inclusion Specialists
Pat Wesley, Director
Partnerships for Inclusion
521 South Greensboro St., Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.962.7356 919.843.5784 (fax) pat_wesley@unc.edu
Susan Deans
Whiteville CDSA
204 Memory Plaza,
Whiteville NC 28472
910.642.4343 910.642.3871 (fax) susan.deans@ncmail.net
Brenda Dennis
Partnerships for Inclusion
521 South Greensboro St., Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.962.7359 919.843.5784 (fax) brenda_dennis@unc.edu
Katherine Laveck
Asheville DEC
119 Tunnel Rd., Suite D
Asheville NC 28805
828.225.1078 828.251.6911 (fax) katherine.laveck@ncmail.net
Rhodus Riggins, Jr.
Partnerships for Inclusion
521 South Greensboro St., Suite 100
Carrboro NC 27510
919.966.8915 919.843.5784 (fax) rhodus_riggins@unc.edu
Sandy Steele
DEC Annex, Irons Bldg., ECU
Oglesby Drive
Greenville NC 27858
252.328.9333 252.328.5510 (fax) steele@mail.fpg.unc.edu
Libby Wilson
33 Baker Place
Arden NC 27704
828.231.6720 libby.wilson@ncmail.net
Get in touch with your regional Children’s
Developmental Services Agency 4
3Contact your regional PFI Inclusion specialist
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 13
CDSA
919-662-4600
Fax: 919-662-4473
Tim.Pritchard@ncmail.net
ROCKY MOUNT (Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston,
Nash, Northampton, Wilson)
Pat Adams, MS, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
111 Medical Arts Mall
Rocky Mount NC 27804
252-443-8858
Fax: 252-443-0275
Pat.Adams@ncmail.net
SANDHILLS (Anson, Harnett, Hoke, Lee,
Montgomery, Moore, Richmond, Scotland)
Kent Haywood, MSW, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
DEC of the Sandhills
110 South Hancock Street Suite 200
Rockingham NC 28379
State Courier #03-81-32
Wadesboro: 704-694-5186
Wadesboro Fax: 704-694-7803
Rockingham: 910-997-9240
Rockingham Fax: 910-997-9115
Kent.Haywood@ncmail.net
SHELBY (Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, Polk,
Rutherford)
Kay Yarboro, MA, CCC-SLP, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
1429 East Marion Street Suite 5
Shelby NC 28150
State Courier # 06-52-07
704-480-5440
704-480-5480
Fax: 704-480-5477
Fax: 704-480-5507
Kay.Yarboro@ncmail.net
WILMINGTON (Brunswick, Columbus, Duplin, New
Hanover, Pender)
Ron Manson, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
3311 Burnt Mills Drive, Suite 100
Wilmington, NC 28403-2654
State Courier #04-19-43
910-251-5817
Fax: 910-251-2652
Ron.Manson@ncmail.net
WINSTON-SALEM (Davidson, Davie, Forsyth,
Stokes, Surry, Yadkin)
Donald Goldstein, PhD, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Amos Cottage Rehabilitation Hospital
3325 Silas Creek Parkway
Winston-Salem NC 27103
336-774-2400
336-774-2402
Fax: 336-760-3018
dgoldst@wfubmc.edu
ASHEVILLE (Buncombe, Henderson, Madison, Transyl-vania)
Gene Perrotta, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
119 Tunnel Road Suite D
Asheville NC 28805
State Courier #12-51-02
828-251-6091
Fax: 828-251-6911
Gene.Perrotta@ncmail.net
BOONE (Alleghany, Ashe, Avery, Mitchell,Watauga,
Wilkes, Yancey) Doug Galke, MA, MPA, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
150 Den-Mac Drive
Boone NC 28607-6543
828-265-5391
Fax: 828-265-5394
Doug.Galke@ncmail.net
CHARLOTTE (Mecklenburg)
John Ellis, PhD, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Carlton G.Watkins Center
3500 Ellington Street
Charlotte NC 28211
704-336-7100
Fax: 704-336-7112
ellisjl@co.mecklenburg.nc.us
CONCORD (Cabarrus, Iredell, Rowan, Stanly, Union)
Gale Coor, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
342 Penny Lane
Concord NC 28025-1216
State Courier # 05-06-04
704-786-9181
Fax: 704-792-9198
Gale.Coor@ncmail.net
CULLOWHEE (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood,
Jackson, Macon, Swain)
Jane Minor, BSN, M.Ed., Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Western Carolina University
Cullowhee NC 28723
828-227-7488
Fax: 828-227-7142
jminor@email.wcu.edu
DURHAM (Chatham, Durham, Franklin, Granville,
Orange, Person, Vance,Warren)
Dana Baldwin, RN, MSN, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
115 Market Street, Suite 201
Durham NC 27701-3221
State Courier # 17-28-03
919-560-5600
Fax: 919-560-3018
Dana.Baldwin@ncmail.net
ELIZABETH CITY (Camden, Chowan, Currituck, Dare,
Gates, Hertford, Pasquotank, Perquimans, Tyrrell,
Washington)
Gregory A. Michael, D.Ed., Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
PO BOX 189
Elizabeth City NC 27909
252-338-4044
Fax: 252-338-4365
gam@ppcc.dst.nc.us
FAYETTEVILLE (Bladen, Cumberland, Robeson, Samp-son)
Ann Crane, MS, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
1211-A Ireland Drive
Fayetteville NC 28304
910-486-1605
Fax: 910-486-1590
Ann.Crane@ncmail.net
GREENSBORO (Alamance, Caswell, Guilford,
Randolph, Rockingham)
Nancy Norman, M.Ed., Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
Self-Help Public Interest Center
122 North Elm Street Suite 400
Greensboro NC 27401
336-334-5601
Fax: 336-334-5657
Nancy.Norman@ncmail.net
GREENVILLE (Beaufort, Bertie, Greene, Hyde, Martin,
Pitt,Wayne)
Gary Stainback, PhD, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
East Carolina University
Irons Building Charles Blvd
Greenville NC 27858-4354
State Courier # 01-42-08
252-328-4480
Fax: 252-328-4486
stainbackg@mail.ecu.edu
MORGANTON/HICKORY (Alexander, Burke, Caldwell,
Catawba, McDowell)
Wilson Hamer, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
517-E West Fleming Drive
Morganton NC 28655
828-432-5430
Fax: 828-432-5545
Wilson.Hamer@ncmail.net
NEW BERN (Carteret, Craven, Jones,
Lenoir, Onslow, Pamlico)
Wendy Chapman, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
2842 Neuse Blvd., New Bern, NC 28562
State Courier #16-60-02
252-514-4770
Fax: 252-514-4773
Wendy.Chapman@ncmail.net
RALEIGH (Wake)
Timothy Pritchard, CPM, Director
Children’s Developmental Services Agency
319 Chapanoke Road Suite 101
2074 Mail Service Center
Raleigh NC 27699-2074
State Courier #53-51-12
Children’s Developmental Services Agencies
From state website last updated November 2, 2004
14 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Getting to know Drew
When Drew was born with Down syndrome 20
years ago in rural Indiana, we had Early Inter-vention,
but not as it is today; this was before
the federal and state laws were legislated. It was
very confusing.We didn't have one place to go
and learn about having a child with a disability.
My physician didn't know a lot about Down
syndrome, and the things I read at libraries
depressed me.The terminology was quite nega-tive.
I struggled with my feelings: what am I going to
do with this child? I’m not prepared, I know he's
going to take a lot of work, I don't know how to
do it! How do I find services?
The person who made the difference at that
critical time was actually our family home child
care provider. Her name is Vera Felling, but we
call her Grandma. She had heard about Drew
through the grapevine, and came to see us and
meet Drew.She picked him up,held him,and he
reached out and grabbed her finger.He was only
a few weeks old but you could tell there was an
immediate bond between them.
She asked “What are you going to do,will you go
back to work?" I was uncertain; I wanted to
work part-time but I didn’t know what to do
about Drew.
“They're telling me he needs all this interven-tion:
physical therapy, speech therapy, occupa-tional
therapy, it's overwhelming.”
I thought I’d have to take him to a special
program, but Grandma Felling said, “Look at
him … look how cute he is ... I think I can learn
the things he needs. If you get somebody to
come and talk to me, I think I can do this."
The next thing she said sticks out in my mind:
“You need to take him everywhere.He's a baby,
everybody's going to love him!” Taking him
everywhere made sense to me.Why hide, why
keep him sheltered? Grandma knew including
Drew in everyday activities would help him
grow. She gave us the confidence to include
Drew in the world.
She was my inspiration! We had a great relation-ship
before Drew was born, and Down
syndrome didn't scare her. It was something she
wanted to take on. She knew what to do ���or
figured it out— before we even knew there was
a “way” to do it. She always asked “What would
Drew be doing if he didn’t have Down
syndrome?”
Learning as we go
Other early intervention providers came to me
and said “I don't know that much about Down
syndrome, but I want to learn along with you.”
They went with us to the hospital —this was
before we could get therapy at home—and
learned what we learned. The providers would
say “let's go knock on doors and ask.” Profes-sionals
were so good to us, offering whatever
knowledge they had. I can’t count how many
FamilyFocus
Brother
included
by Sandy
Steele
For the last 15
years, Sandy has
been an Inclusion
Specialist for PFI,
serving the eastern
region.
ATN talked with Sandy Steele about raising her sons Derek and
Drew. She shares her insights about the challenges she faced and
the brother’s remarkable relationship.
wouldn't have had him do. But Drew was his
brother, and Derrick was going to show him the
things he needed to know that only a brother
could teach.
Support and success
Looking back over the past twenty years, Drew
has made and kept friends throughout his life.
In preschool, kids learned sign language along
with him. They remember being in preschool
with him, and remember learning to sign.
Those kids he grew up with are so supportive of
him! As families we fear that other kids will
make fun of our child, but the kids who really
got to know Drew supported him throughout.
They let me know if somebody was bullying
him, and they would look out for him.
We fought to keep him in inclusive classes with
his friends. Of all the things Drew has learned,
those friendships mean more to him, to us and
the community because people see that interac-tion
and how much people love Drew.
We know he'll be successful, whatever course
his life takes,wherever he goes.Not just because
of us, but because of everyone around him.
Really, it’s because of Drew. He made this
happen himself, he wanted to be out there with
everybody.
A transplanted Hoosier, Sandy helped establish
the Family Support Network of Eastern North
Carolina and still serves as a resource and
support parent for the parent-to-parent group.
people we worked with along the way who made
a difference because they were there to encour-age
us.
In Indiana we drove an hour to the hospital for
therapy. Though the therapists were hospital-based,
they had an intuitive knowledge of how
therapy needs to work in the family.They asked
“How can we play, how can we make it fun?”
When the therapy was finished for the day, a
group of students would watch the children,and
all the parents would meet together with a social
worker to discuss our parenting issues, along
with dealing with our emotions.
Two things I took away from that experience:
you have to make therapy fun in the context of
what the family can do, and you have to
“connect” families for mutual support.
Twenty years later, look at all that’s been written
about inclusion; it comes from those people
who just went out there and did it, people will-ing
to try things.
Brothers and friends
Having a child with special needs affects every-one
in the family, not just Mom and Dad.
Derrick and Drew went through lots of natural
growth in their relationship as brothers; but
early on Derrick insisted on learning why and
how Drew was different from other babies. He
had to deal with questions from other kids,
sometimes being embarrassed or hurt by them.
He had a lot of things to work through, but he
also had Drew!
Drew has great social skills. My husband Mike
has been a great role model; he’s very outgoing.
Drew learned the complexity of the rules of
making friends–when to shake hands, how to
make people feel good about themselves. He
was born with Mike’s sociable nature, but he's
had the opportunity to learn those social skills,
and the ability to do it.
Derrick went head-on with Drew about “guy”
things like wrestling, making him do things I
ATN!
“The most significant experience in my life has to be my brother.
I do not know if you would call my brother an event, but he has
definitely strengthened my character. My brother Drew has
Down syndrome. He is the most wonderful person in the world
to me. I am not saying we do not fight like brothers, but I love my
brother with all my heart.
Throughout my life I have always volunteered helping with my
brother and other children with special needs and I know it has had a positive
influence on the way I see the world and other people. Many people that I have
met are very biased towards people with special needs and I wish they could see
how loving and incredible people with special needs are. I strongly believe that
my brother has strengthened my character. Someone’s character can also be
defined as their moral strength. I feel that your morals are based on past experi-ences
and what you have been taught. My brother,who is very concerned with the
details of everyday life, has caused me to stop and think about how lucky I am to
be myself. My brother has more courage than I could ever imagine having and he
does not even realize it. To go through life the way he does seems to me to take an
enormous amount of courage but to him it is a day at a time. Sometimes I will
just sit back and watch my brother play with his toys or read and I just smile and
appreciate life more and more.”
—Derek Steele
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 15
Essay by Derek Steele,
written at age 18
Drew today
16 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
by Caroline
Butler
Caroline is an early
childhood consultant
and former
preschool teacher.
Feature
Put together high quality child care with
inclusion with specialized services
provided in the natural environment, and
you’ve got a program to brag about!
Quality and inclusion from
the start
From the beginning, the purpose for Step-ping
Stones Learning Center was to offer
high quality care and education for young
children. With the support of parent
organization, United Cerebral Palsy, the
center opened in April, 1995. Designed
and operated for all children, from day one
Stepping Stones has welcomed children
with and without special needs and their
families. Then unique among UCP
centers, it began with a 50/50 ratio for
inclusion.
According to former founding director,
Joni Pavlik, Stepping Stones was the first
center in Lee County and the first UCP
The sand hills town of Sanford is
famous for its potters and pottery festival,
its historic downtown and railroad
station, and its thriving community
theatre scene. Likewise within the region’s
early childhood community, Sanford is
known for its highly regarded early child-hood
program/child care center, Stepping
Stones Learning Center.
What has won this center such attention
and respect? First is the high quality of the
educational services and the environment
that Stepping Stones provides for children
ages birth through five. Second is its lead-ership
among child development
programs for embracing the practice of
inclusion. Third is the specialized services
it offers in the enhanced natural environ-ments
Stepping Stones has created.
Stepping Stones
to Inclusion
Easter Seals UCP Stepping Stones
Learning Center
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 17
center in North Carolina to receive
national accreditation from NAEYC.“I was
so proud that we accomplished that within
our first three years after opening!” Pavlik
recalled.
Having set this high standard of quality
for itself, the program soon volunteered to
be assessed using the then new (2000)
North Carolina Star Rated License System.
By 2001, Stepping Stones had earned the
system’s highest rating, five stars, and
another first in Lee County.
In addition to child care, for children
enrolled who have special needs, Stepping
Stones provides special education and
therapy services within the child care
setting. Over time, Stepping Stones has
expanded its array of services. Through
project ECHOES, three inclusion special-ists
provide outreach and early interven-tion
in the community for children ages
birth-to-three years and their families.
Some special therapies are available for
children not enrolled in child care.
5-star, beyond compliance
Since parents want superior quality in a
child care program for their children, it
makes sense that Stepping Stones is in
demand. As the one inclusive five-star
center in Lee County, Stepping Stones has
a waiting list for children without special
needs. The list totals 20 for all classes.
Twelve are waiting for its infant room (on
our visit,we saw why!).
Before entering the infant class we’re given
slippers to put on over our shoes. “And
please wash your hands,” requests teacher
Wanda Parker. (In fact, as part of our tour,
we’re asked to wash our hands when
entering any classroom.) “This is just part
of what it takes to maintain the quality of
a five-star center,” emphasizes director
Emily Page. “We strictly adhere to the
Division of Child Development rules and
regulations.”
The environment
Gina Taylor rocks her infant son Logan
before leaving him for the day. Colin’s
mom reads to him before she leaves.
These very personal and important sepa-ration
rituals are encouraged by the
program. Other signs of quality infant
care abound, such as the soft furnishings,
the posted individual feeding schedules,
and photos at the children’s level. Fun,
developmentally appropriate toys are
being used by children with and without
Colin & his mom enjoy Babar!
All for one and one for all! Teacher Keisha Burch and the Pre-K group
Counting steps: Inclusion specialist Misty and Cristal
special needs. Teachers sit on the floor to
facilitate interactions.
And so it goes, as we visit the other three
well-equipped and attractive classrooms,
star quality is apparent. The center also
has classes for toddlers, twos, and three-five
year olds. Child-staff ratios meet or
exceed national standards for quality.
Keeping qualified staff
Recently the center advertised for two
staff positions. This was a rare event since
most staff have worked at the center from
2 to 9 years. From a pool of 40 applicants,
Stepping Stones hired a teacher with a 4-
year degree in early childhood. The
Education Coordinator has a Master’s
degree and is working towards her B-K
license. Three teachers have associates
degrees.
The center encourages all teachers to
further their professional development.
Stepping Stones participates in the Child-care
Services Association’s T.E.A.C.H.
Early Childhood® Project and Child Care
WAGE$® Project to support their staff ’s
education.
How does this center keep such qualified
staff? By investing in higher salaries and
benefits than are offered by most child
care centers. One such benefit is the
discounted fee for child care that
UCP/Easter Seals gives its employees. Five
Stepping Stones staff members have chil-dren
who attend.“Also I think it’s the staff-child
ratios and the family atmosphere
here,” responds Emily, “Everyone here is
committed to working with children with
disabilities.”
Learning for all in the
natural environment
All Easter Seals/UCP child care programs
in NC strive to be 50/50 inclusive. This
means half the enrolled population have
disabilities and half do not. Part of Step-ping
Stones’ philosophy is that children
with disabilities are children first, and
above and beyond that, they possess
certain special needs that require environ-mental
adaptations to allow these children
to reach their fullest potential.
Staff adapt the environment to enable
children with disabilities to benefit from
experiences available to children without.
Therapists facilitate learning through play.
Some of the special therapies are embed-ded
in the typical activities of the day.
Children can practice skills in their class-room
and outdoor environments. Chil-
Playing for keeps
Benjamin has fun during physi-cal
therapy at Stepping Stones.
His mother and he drive from
Lillington because they prefer
this setting over the medical
facilities where he has spent
much of his young life.
Benjamin was born prema-turely
and, due to an intestinal
infection, has gone through a
number of surgeries. He
recently spent two months
making the transition from
tube feeding to eating inde-pendently.
His mother chose Stepping
Stones because she wanted
him to return to
a service envi-ronment
more
like school and
less like the
hospital. As you
can see, he loves
it, and the ther-apy
is going well.
18 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Having a seriously good time with toys
He shoots, he scores!
longer in good condition. Recently Step-ping
Stones sent out an appeal to families
to share the center’s “wish list” with their
employers, churches, and civic clubs. This
successful campaign garnered both
parent and community donations of time
and resources. On “Transformation Day”
staff and families painted all of the class-rooms.
They purchased needed classroom
supplies and toys, now being used by the
children. Soon, donated new carpet will
be installed.
Also the cost of maintaining NAEYC
accreditation is high. Stepping Stones is
hoping that through the encouragement
and help of the Lee County Partnership
for Children, the center can again become
nationally accredited.
Ending our visit
As Emily and I walk around the pre-K
classroom, she wonders aloud whether
the displayed cardboard tube snake made
by the children will count as 3-D art on an
item in the ECERS-R.We ponder together.
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 19
dren without disabilities may choose to be
involved with another child and therapist.
Everyone learns together.
For example, picture cards and picture
books with printed words are placed in
every class to help children communicate
in centers, at meals, during play. The
picture cards and books are tailored by
the speech therapist for specific children’s
needs. Because such activities support
language and early literacy skill develop-ment,
all children benefit.
A Job Chart includes “friend helper.” Each
child gets turns as helper of all friends.
Any child can get help when wanted. This
activity encourages social interactions
between children. It fosters the under-standing
that we all need help sometimes.
(And, even helpers need help sometimes!)
Community Support
One challenge to maintaining high quality
is finding the financial resources to
replace furnishings and toys that are no
Then she reaches for a well worn copy of
All About the ECERS-R. Finding the item,
“Here it is. Yes, it counts!” she says with
pride and relief. We see another important
factor that affects quality in child care: the
education and commitment of directors.
With so many indicators of quality, it’s no
wonder that Easter Seals/UCP Stepping
Stones Learning Center is a popular spot
in Sanford. ATN!
Hattie at play
Zachary checks us out at the playground
20 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
In the last ATN issue you described free
training and consultation services offered by
Partnerships for Inclusion. Can you tell me
more about consultation? When would my
program want consultation versus training?
Partnerships for Inclusion (PFI) has
provided training to literally thousands of
early childhood professionals throughout
the past decade.Although we will continue
to offer this service, we are pleased that
more and more program directors and
agency representatives are asking about
consultation. This is encouraging because
changes that programs make through a
consultation process in which many staff
participate are likely to last longer than
changes introduced by one or two staff
people who attend a training session off-site.
Here are some of the topics that PFI inclu-sion
specialists and community practition-ers
have been able to address through
consultation:
w Identifying and connecting with local
resources to enrich services to families
of children with disabilities
w Conducting community forums to
develop plans for ensuring children’s
smooth transitions between infant-toddler
and preschool services
w Modifying teaching strategies to
embed interventions for children with
disabilities within the typical routines
and activities of the classroom
w Supporting family child care home
providers as they prepare to serve
infants and toddlers with special
needs.
What does the consultation process
involve?
Step 1
Someone from a community program
contacts PFI with a request for help. As in
some of the above examples, the identified
need may be best served through consulta-tion
rather than training sessions.Bringing
in a PFI inclusion specialist to work with
program staff in their real work environ-ments
and with access to their materials
and children guarantees that services will
AskPFI
by Pat Wesley
Pat is director of
Partnerships For
Inclusion
Getting started
Consulting with PFI inclusion specialists
be individualized.
Sometimes representatives from several
agencies wish to improve overall services
for young children in their community and
recognize that to do so, they will need to
meet several times. They feel they could
benefit from a PFI inclusion specialist’s
knowledge of policies and recommended
practices, and from his or her experiences
with similar efforts in other communities.
Step 2
A first meeting is scheduled. During the
early stages of consultation the program
staff or community representatives and PFI
inclusion specialist begin to build positive,
trusting relationships. They begin to work
together to clarify the program or commu-nity’s
need and whether or not PFI can help.
If it is decided that PFI consultation services
are appropriate, then the program staff or
community representatives become
“consultees” of PFI. If the need does not
appear to be one that PFI can address, the
PFI inclusion specialist will assist by refer-ring
the program to other resources.
Step 3
With collaboration from the PFI inclusion
specialist, consultees determine what addi-tional
information is needed to be able to
set clear goals for consultation. They begin
to gather this information.
Step 4
Again, with help from PFI, consultees set
goals for the consultation process. What
outcomes do they wish to accomplish? How
can those outcomes be measured?
Step 5
Strategies for each goal are defined. What
strategies will be used? Who will do what
and when? Consultees develop an overall
timeline showing who is responsible for
implementing the strategies. The timeline
estimates when the consultation process
will come to an end.
Step 6
With support from the PFI inclusion
specialist, consultees begin to implement
the strategies. Work on the goals may take
weeks or months. During this time the PFI
inclusion specialist continues to make visits
to provide resources and support.His or her
role may change,depending on the needs of
the consultees. For example, the inclusion
specialist may offer training or link consul-
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 21
tees with other programs or communities
engaged in similar activities. Throughout
implementation consultees and the PFI
inclusion specialist discuss how things are
going,both in terms of what goals are being
accomplished and how the consultation
process and relationship feel.
Step 7
Consultees evaluate how things have gone.
What was accomplished? What remains to
be done? What other resources are needed
to sustain the effort? What aspects of the
consultation process have been most or
least helpful?
Step 8
The PFI inclusion specialist and consultees
hold final meetings to review progress and
celebrate success. They finalize plans to
terminate consultation.
If you think your program or community
could benefit from PFI consultation,
contact the inclusion specialist in your
region.
Inclusion
specialists by
region
To find detailed contact information for your regional inclusion specialist, go to page 12
Cherokee
Graham
Clay
Macon
Haywood
Tran-sylvania
Henderson
Buncombe
Madison
Mitchell
Yancey
McDowell
Burke
Caldwell
Ashe
Watauga
Avery
Wilkes
Alleghany
Surry
Yadkin
Iredell
Alex-ander
Catawba
Lincoln
Cleveland Gaston
Davie
Forsyth
Stokes
Davidson
Rowan
Cabarrus
Mecklenburg
Union
Stanly
Anson
Montgo-mery
Randolph
Guilford
Rockingham Caswell
Alamance
Chatham
Moore
Lee
Richmond
Orange
Person
Durham
Wake
Granville
Vance
Franklin
Harnett
Hoke
Scot-land
Robeson
Cumberland
Bladen
Columbus
Brunswick
Pender
New
Han-over
Duplin
Sampson
Johnston
Wayne Lenoir
Onslow
Jones
Carteret
Craven Pamlico
Pitt Beaufort
Greene
Wilson
Nash
Edgecombe
Martin
Bertie
Halifax
Warren
Northampton
Hertford
Gates
Washington
Hyde
Tyrrell Dare
Currituck
Camden
Pasquotank
Perquimans
Chowan
Rutherford
Polk
Jackson
Swain
Katherine Laveck
Libby Wilson
Rhodus Riggins
Susan Deans
Brenda Dennis
Sandy Steele
ATN!
Spotlight
Inclusion today
Austin is having a great time making
the transition to kindergarten at
Evergreen Elementary School! Born
with cerebral palsy he faced signifi-cant
challenges from birth, but his
family and professionals worked
together to help him grow and
develop. Austin’s preschool teacher
was confident he could move to
kindergarten, and Evergreen’s Principal was eager to to
have Austin in school. This August at an IEP meeting,
the family made the decision to place Austin in kinder-garten,
and the outcome has been terrific.
Austin attends kindergarten every day.He gets one-on-one
support from Ms. Margaret Henderson, who also
has a 22 year-old son with cerebral palsy. Austin loves
Margaret, and her experience has helped him and his
family. At Evergreen, the children and teachers are
adjusting to fully include Austin, and principal Alan
22 Vol. 11, No. 1 • Winter 2005
Listening during story time
Taylor, Austin and Rikki Michelle
Photos by
Susan Dean,
PFI inclusion
specialist
ALLTOGETHERNOW! 23
Austin loves to play video games with his sister Taylor.
His oldest sister, Rikki Michelle, always includes him in
the things she does, from playing and working around
the house to practicing her cheerleading !
We followed Austin and his class to the Columbus
County Fair, and he had the best time of any kid there!
He got to pet a donkey and to help milk a cow,and as the
picture shows, he seems to take to it naturally.
Faulk has provided great leadership and support for
Austin, his family and teacher Janice Johnson.
His mother has only positive things to say about his
transition. He is excited about school, so much so that
he doesn’t always have time to say goodbye when she
drops him off!
School has also given Austin a much higher level of
interest in learning, and a will to make progress in
speech and physical therapy. When he comes home,
from school he and his Mom count his remaining lunch
money together.He is excited about what he has learned
each day.
Jingle bell fun!
Just a little nuzzle...
ATN!
Asheville Fairview Elementary School Head Start
Aurora S&T Daycare Home
Bethel Down Home Child Care
Cary Children's Campus At Preston
Charlotte Granny's Child Care
Charlotte Happy Hearts Child Care, Inc.
Clemmons Nanny Kat's Home Daycare
Clemmons New Horizon's Child Care
Clinton Honeybee's Inc.
Concord Coltrane-Webb Kids:Plus
Durham Aunt Jane's Home Daycare
Beverly's Bundles
Christian Prep Academy
Mandy's Corner
Precious Moment Home Care
Precious Moments Daycare
Primary Colors Day Care
Right Start Christian Home Center
Eden Little Hands Child Care
Fayetteville Moore Home Day Care
Germanton Germanton Elementary Preschool
Greensboro Bayberry Patch
Hunter Haven Child Care
Loving Arms Family Child Care
Precious Angels
Precious Daughters & Sons
Sutton's Child Care
Hayes Mountain View Elementary
Pre Kindergarten
Hickory Footprints Christian Childcare
Winnie The Pooh & Friends
High Point Jane Leonard's Educational Facility
Nest Of Angels Day Care Home
Partner's Christian Child Care
Teresa Brown Child Care
Holly Springs For Young Minds Child Development
Lenoir Home Away From Home
Linden Just Like Home Day Care Home
Lumberton Thompson's Day Care Home
Marshall Madison School Age Care-
Brush Creek Elementary
Matthews Kids Are First Child Development Center
Mcclainsville Learning And Loving Child Care Home
Moravian Falls Moravian Falls Elementary Pre K
Murphy Hiwassee Dam Union School Pre-K
Murphy Marble Elementary School Pre-K
Murphy Elementary School Pre-K
Newton Oakwood Elementary Kid Connection
Startown Preschool
North Wilkesboro North Wilkesboro Elementary Pre K
Robbinsville Rhs Child Care Center
Rocky Mount Peg's Day Care Home
Spruce Pine Meg's Little People Day Care
Statesville Pea Pods Child Care
Traphill Traphill Elementary Pre Kindergarten
Walnut Cove Walnut Cove Elementary Pre-K
Wendell Bt's Home Day Care
Wilmington Chesterbrook Academy
Wilson Fresh Start
Winston Salem Model City Child Dev. Center
Winterville A Place For Me Two
Non-Profit Organization
US Postage
PAID
Permit 177
Chapel Hill, NC
Addressee: Please share ATN! with your colleagues.
Reaching the 5 Stars
521 S. Greensboro Street • Ste. 100
Carrboro NC 27510-2341
New 5-Star Programs
Programs awarded August 15 through November 15, 2004 or not previously listed.
Please note: Partnerships for Inclusion does not compile this list. It comes from the Division of Child Development.